Sail
by foraworldundeserving
Summary: Klaine plus Warblers plus boat. Like you need a summary to tell you how this one's going to go. Spin off from KiKiFliesDW13 Gleek's Kiss prompt - not necessary to read to understand this story though. COMPLETE
1. Prologue and Day One

**On my **_**Kiss**_** story, I got a prompt about Blaine's parents having a boat. I started writing it and quickly realized it was going to spin right out of control if I wrote it the way I wanted. So I thought to myself 'Hey Sarah, why not turn it into a chapter story and put the relevant chapter on _Kiss_?' So here we are. Not that I needed any more chapter stories, my mind is plagued with ideas for them at the moment.**

**Established relationships: Kurt/Blaine, Nick/Jeff, Wes/OC. **

**Now, I read a wonderful cruise-based story called **_**Together, We Are The Oceans**_** by _Aelora, _which I absolutely do NOT want to steal anything from. But, of course, because I'm writing a story in almost the same setting, it's difficult to make sure my ideas are mine. I promise I didn't steal things from that story intentionally. I also encourage everybody to go check it out - it deals with Klaine issues as well as having some gorgeous Klaine moments :) **

**In regards to _Kiss_, Chapter Three of this story will be published as Chapter 87/88 (depending on how you look at it) of _Kiss_. So I thought I'd better start getting this up :)**

**This is sort of a prologue chapter/first day of cruise. As such, it's not very detailed, and I do apologize for that but I wanted to get this out of the way so I could get into the proper cruise stuff... and the proper Klaine stuff of course! **

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><p>"I now call this emergency Warbler meeting to order. Junior Member Blaine Anderson has the floor."<p>

Wes tapped his gavel before sitting back as Blaine stood and surveyed the room. "Thank you Council Members. And I can assure you, I'm not asking for permission to perform off campus after the disaster of last time."

The Warblers began to reminisce, Kurt catching his eye and winking before Wes called them to attention again. "Anyway, this is a much more pleasant task. Who doesn't have plans for summer yet, or at least not for the first few weeks?"

The group looked around and then a few hands went up. Blaine surveyed them, counting. _Wes, David, Thad, Cameron, Kurt, Nick, Jeff... and me. Perfect. _"Okay, so eight of us. Those who do, well you probably don't need to stick around if you don't want. We're not doing a performance or anything so it won't affect you."

Kurt couldn't keep the smirk off his face as the other boys vacated the room and Blaine mock-glared at his boyfriend. Of course Blaine had told Kurt what was going on the second his parents had let him know, and they had decided together that inviting the rest of the Warblers would make the trip a lot more fun.

"So, what's the deal?" Now that the room was nearly empty, the rest of the guys crowded around Blaine. The council members left their seats and sat down next to the others who were all waiting, looking confused.

"You all know my parents have a boat, right?"

Nods all around with a few envious looks thrown in. His parent's boat was, after all, essentially the size of a small cruise ship and any time Blaine went away for summer, the rest of the Warblers were usually green with jealousy when they saw his photos.

"Well they're not using it until later this summer so they said I could take a group of my friends out for a week."

Silence echoed for a few seconds, then Thad let out a whoop and punched the air. "That's awesome!"

The rest of the boys began to talk excitedly amongst one another, a few beginning to pull out phones. Blaine rolled his eyes and gestured to Wes who jumped up and banged the gavel.

"Before you all go crazy, you should probably know details. We're leaving port on Saturday at 10am sharp, so make sure you're there earlier. Food's provided of course, but bring your own junk food because all the stuff on board is going to be mine." There was a cough. "Sorry, mine and Kurt's."

Blaine rolled his eyes affectionately at his boyfriend who stuck out his tongue in return. "Anyway, there's another few spots left if anybody wants to invite their girlfriend."

"What about boyfriends?"

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware that you were gay now David." The others sniggered as the boy tried to backtrack. He let David suffer for a few seconds before continuing. "Anyway, as far as I knew the only Warblers with boyfriends are the four of us sitting in the room."

He nodded in Nick and Jeff's direction and the two boys blushed. Their relationship was only a new development and Blaine was thrilled for the two of them.

Kurt spoke up. "Alright, I think that's all you need to know. Let one of us know if you're bringing your girlfriend and we'll see you on Saturday."

The rest of the boys made their way out of the room and Blaine sat down next to Kurt, taking his hand and smiling at the light blush that crossed his face. While they may have been a couple for longer than Nick and Jeff, they were still reveling in the 'new couple' stage - hand holding, light touches and a lot of texting.

"It's going to be great, isn't it?"

Blaine nodded, already planning the weeks ahead. "I sure hope so."

* * *

><p>"You do realize if we <em>all <em>call their phones, it's not going to work?"

Kurt stared at the group of boys who sheepishly lowered their phones. "Very good. Now, Blaine, you call Wes. Nick, you call David. If anybody has Jessica's number, call her. Jeff, get onto the accidents page and make sure nothing's happened between here and Dalton that might've slowed them down. Everybody else can start loading up our luggage, _I'm _not missing this just because those two couldn't learn what time ten is."

The boys immediately followed his orders, Blaine shooting him a sheepish but grateful glance. Kurt turned back to the road, keeping an eye out for David's car. The two boys had left Dalton at the same time as Blaine's carload, promising they'd be there within ten minutes after picking up Wes's girlfriend. But now there was only a few minutes until they were meant to leave with no sign of them.

"Wes! Where are you?"

Kurt's head snapped around to see his boyfriend shaking his head. "I don't _care _how many suitcases she's got. Kurt has _five _and we got here on time." Another pause. "Well you'd better be, you've got five minutes!"

Blaine hung up and Kurt immediately stepped over, placing a hand on his arm. "It's alright, they're coming now and that's what matters."

Blaine blew out a breath but calmed down noticeably. "Thanks Kurt."

David's car pulled up and the three jumped out. Kurt, having heard Blaine's comment about the number of bags, quickly made his way over to assist the group. Once they were unloaded, Blaine called the group together.

"Alright, time to board guys!" The group cheered and Blaine chuckled, all the tension gone. "The staff have taken our bags to the main deck, so once you've picked a room and gotten lost a couple of times, go back there and pick up your stuff."

With that, Blaine took Kurt's hand - and Kurt cursed the blush that wouldn't stop appearing - and led the group up the gangway and on board. The rest of the boys immediately raced off to explore, Wes and Jessica hanging back.

"Blaine, a word?"

Wes and Blaine walked a couple of steps away, leaving Kurt to stand awkwardly with Jessica. It wasn't that he had anything against the girl, it was that she didn't quite know how to treat him. Not homophobia, per se, just ... ignorance?

"So... um, Kurt. How - how's Blaine?"

Kurt mentally rolled his eyes. "He's great. How's Wes?"

Luckily Blaine and Wes returned at that, the latter looking happier than Kurt had seen him in a long time. He took Jessica's hand and the two quickly headed off.

"What was that about?"

Blaine chuckled. "He wanted my permission to share a room with her. And after assuring me that there would be no unexpected pregnancies, I figured it would be hypocritical of me to say no."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Hypocritical?"

"I - oh, I shouldn't have assumed." And now Blaine was looking down at the deck and Kurt nearly kicked himself.

"No, of course I want to share a room." He reached out and took Blaine's hand, cheering inwardly when he didn't blush. "Come on, let's go find one."

* * *

><p>By evening, the cruise was well underway. Rooms had been sorted, with a sheepish looking Nick being informed that yes, he could room with Jeff too, and the ship had been explored sufficiently with only two calls to Blaine asking how to get back to the main deck.<p>

The boys were all lounging around in the setting sun, making the most of the service - Blaine's parents had left the entire staff on board for the week. Blaine watched Kurt who was still slightly disbelieving of their current situation. "I never realized you were actually rich, Blaine."

Blaine winced, thankful that Kurt wasn't looking in his direction. It wasn't that he was ashamed of his family being well off, but he was afraid that having money would make him a different person in Kurt's eyes. "Not that it matters!" Kurt added hastily, apparently having noticed the silence. "It really doesn't, I promise. It's just a little overwhelming." He turned in his seat to look at Blaine who was biting his lip.

"I know. I just don't want you to treat me any different because of this." He gestured around the boat. "Others have, and I don't want that for us."

"I know that." Kurt reached out and put a hand on his arm. "It doesn't make you any different to me, okay? You're still the same goofball Blaine Anderson I unfortunately find myself dating."

He heaved a theatrical sigh and Blaine raised an eyebrow, looking at him seriously. "Oh, well I can make arrangements if you want that to end." There was a pause before Blaine smirked. "After all, we are quite a way out to sea now, babe, nobody would find your body for quite some time."

The second he finished talking, Blaine froze, realizing what he had just said. He and Kurt hadn't gotten into pet names, Blaine got the feeling it wasn't something Kurt would like as they were usually considered tacky rather than romantic. Luckily Kurt didn't seem to notice.

"Prat." Kurt hit him lightly before smiling. "This is going to be a great week."

"I hope so." Blaine surveyed the Warblers who were finally winding down. The group had been fairly crazy for most of the day, their main activity seeing who could hang the furtherest over the railing without falling over before Kurt had put a stop to it, claiming he wasn't going to ruin his hair by jumping in after the idiot who fell. Since his boyfriend was the only one with any kind of first aid training - excluding the staff who they knew would tell them to stop so they were avoiding them - they reluctantly followed his orders.

They were paying for it now. Blaine saw Thad had already fallen asleep and even Wes and David had finally sat down, Wes sharing a chair with his girlfriend. Nick and Jeff had already headed to bed - Jeff wasn't a great night person.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kurt yawn. "Want to turn in?"

Inexplicably, Kurt started biting his lip and avoiding Blaine's eyes. "I - yeah, sure."

Blaine frowned but they stood anyway. "Guys, we're going to bed. No destroying the boat, okay?"

"Can't make you any promises, dude," David called before yawning. "Okay, maybe you're safe tonight. How do we get to our room again?"

Shaking his head, Blaine gestured for the boy to follow them. Most of the guys decided to follow suit, leaving only Wes and Jessica who were apparently waiting for more stars to come out.

His and Kurt's room was closest to the deck and Kurt headed in while Blaine took the rest of the guys down the various corridors to their rooms. As they walked past Jeff and Nick's room, Cameron knocked on the wall. "Keep it PG in there!"

There was a muffled sound of annoyance - by the sounds of it, Cameron had just woken Jeff. Blaine rolled his eyes and ushered Cameron into his room before Jeff decided it was worth the effort to come out and yell at Cameron.

Finally everyone was behind their doors - with the exception of the two on the deck - and Blaine quickly made his way back to his room, wanting to find out what was wrong with Kurt. Slipping through the door, he shut it and turned to see Kurt sitting on the edge of his bed, looking worried. "Hey, what's going on?" Blaine sat down next to him, taking his hand and Kurt sighed.

"How's this going to work, Blaine?" Blaine felt a spike of fear - _is he breaking up with me? _- before Kurt gestured to the two beds. "I mean, what are we doing?"

Blaine suddenly realized the issue - in sharing a room, Kurt had expected Blaine to want something out of it. "We're doing exactly what you are comfortable with, okay? Certainly nothing sexual at all," and Kurt _still _blushed when that word came up, Blaine realized fondly, "because I'm nowhere near ready for that and neither are you."

Kurt still looked concerned and Blaine turned to face him fully, taking his other hand. "I don't want there to be any awkwardness between us, I want us to be open about everything, this especially. Why don't you tell me what you're comfortable with and I'll do the same?"

"Okay." Kurt nodded, then took a deep breath. "I - I think I want to just stay separate tonight. Just, you know, to get used to having you in the same room. Then maybe - you know, if you're okay with it, we can ... can possibly share?"

Blaine squeezed his hands reassuringly. "That sounds perfect to me. As for what I'm comfortable with, I'd be happy to share with you tonight, but I'm just as happy not to, okay?"

Kurt nodded again. "Thank you," he murmured quietly, releasing Blaine's hands and reaching out for a hug. Blaine wrapped his arms around him, smiling into his shoulder. Kurt usually never instigated physical affection - not that he was against it, he just struggled being the one to give it. This was certainly a step forward.

"Oh, and earlier when you called me 'babe' and thought I didn't notice?" Blaine tensed. "I liked it. So you can keep doing that."

All the tension left the room at that sentence. Blaine laughed, pulling away. "Yes, sir!" He saluted, earning himself another slap from Kurt.

"Alright, I'm taking the bathroom first. I know what your moisturizing routine is like." Grabbing his toothbrush and a pair of sweatpants, Blaine ducked into their en suite bathroom as Kurt muttered something behind him about 'not that long.' Grinning, Blaine brushed his teeth and got changed before stepping back out.

"Bathroom's -"

His mouth ran dry. Because there was Kurt, also only wearing sweatpants. Of course he had seen Kurt shirtless before, but he still couldn't help but stare. There were a couple of faded bruises and scars from his bullying - Blaine was the same - but the rest of his skin was smooth and almost alabaster.

Tearing his eyes away, he realized Kurt had been doing the same thing. Instead of the awkwardness he expected to see, he got a simple smile before Kurt moved into the bathroom, brushing his arm against Blaine's lightly as he did. Blaine shivered at the contact of skin-on-skin before catching himself.

When Kurt left the bathroom ten minutes later, Blaine was flipping through a magazine idly. He looked up to see his boyfriend yawning and immediately shut the magazine, putting it in his bag. "Alright, let's sleep, shall we?"

He met Kurt in the middle of the room, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend without thinking about the fact that they were both shirtless. Blaine gasped as their skin made contact, hearing Kurt do the same. And now all he wanted to do was keep Kurt in his arms forever, to lie next to him tonight, tracing patterns on his skin...

But Kurt wasn't ready and so Blaine reluctantly pulled away. "Goodnight, Kurt."

Kurt blinked a couple of times, wrapping his arms loosely around himself without seeming to realize. "Goodnight, Blaine."

Blaine hit the lights and the two boys made their way to their respective beds in the moonlight shining through the porthole. Lying down, Blaine couldn't help but look over to see Kurt had already buried his head in the pillows, facing in the other direction. The moonlight glinted off the skin on the back of his neck and shoulders and Blaine just watched him for a few moments before realizing he'd have to get used to having Kurt there if he wanted to get any sleep at all.

Rolling over, Blaine closed his eyes and listened. He could hear the sound of waves crashing against the boat, the slight humming of the engine ... and the sound of Kurt breathing softly across the room.

He smiled. _I can definitely get used to that noise._

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed! :) <strong>


	2. Day Two

**I did leave this one a little while between updates, didn't I? :S Sorry guys! Hopefully this chapter makes up for it :) **

**I'm currently working on the next chapter but I'm experiencing a bit of writers block over all of my stories at the moment, as well as saying goodbye to family and friends over the next few days before I fly back to Australia.. oh, and packing. And studying. So can't make any promises on when I'm going to update next. **

**So I know I had three POV changes in the last chapter - Blaine, Kurt, Blaine - but that was because I had to do two days in one. From now on, there'll just be two POV changes - one person for the day, the other for the evening/night. I won't cover the whole day, usually just the morning's activities, then flick to the evening. It's just easier. **

**I'm completely making the boat up. I've never been on a cruise. It's an OOC boat, alright?**

**A lot of people - myself included half the time - write Kurt with intimacy issues. Things like not wanting to cuddle and hold hands and all that. But I've been thinking (shock horror!) and I don't think that's true at all. Yes, he has/had issues with sexual stuff. That's fine, I'm the same in that regard to be perfectly honest. But the two cases I'm using are Original Song, where he seemed to have no problems with kissing Blaine... and then kissing him again... and we have no idea how much longer that went on for, and Prom Queen, where he reached out across the table to take Blaine's hands to ask him to Prom. So I don't think there's intimacy issues there at all.**

**(The whole hallway scene where he was crying, well that's another kettle of fish altogether - that's how he responds to being comforted.)**

** So we do get cuddly!Kurt in this one because I think he's adorable :) **

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><p>Blaine woke slowly, frowning as he realized he wasn't in his bed at Dalton. The sun was shining in on his face, something that didn't normally happen. His bed was rolling slightly underneath him - that <em>definitely <em>didn't happen at Dalton - and Thad wasn't snoring across from him, rather there was the sound of light breathing.

Keeping his eyes closed, Blaine waited until his brain clicked. _Right... cruise with Warblers... sharing with Kurt, not Thad._

_Kurt._

He snapped his eyes open, wincing at the sunlight and rolled onto his side. As soon as his eyes adjusted, his jaw literally dropped.

Because there was his boyfriend, sprawled on his stomach with one arm draped loosely down the side of the bed, the other curled over his head. His hair was a mess - and Blaine wondered just how Kurt was going to react when he woke up and realized Blaine had seen him this way - and the blankets had been kicked down in the night, revealing the smooth expanse of his back.

Kurt's mouth was open slightly as he slept and Blaine realized he had never seen Kurt like this. When Kurt was awake, there was always an expression on his face. Not necessarily a mask, but it was like Kurt had a face for every situation. But while he was asleep, his face seemed to turn into a blank canvas. He wasn't emotionless, more like at peace.

Blaine knew he could have laid there and watched Kurt all day, but reluctantly remembered there were other Warblers waiting on him to show them what was planned for the day. Besides, if Kurt woke up and saw him staring, it'd be a bit creepy, right?

Pulling himself out of bed, Blaine began to rummage through his suitcase for his swimming trunks. As he pulled them out, there was a rustling noise behind him and Blaine turned to see Kurt attempting to bury his head in the pillow, groaning slightly.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Blaine murmured quietly.

Kurt sighed, rolling onto his side and squinting blearily. "If you say so." He rubbed at his eyes, blinking a couple of times as he tried to focus and Blaine couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, watching Kurt pull himself into a sitting position.

Kurt shrugged. "I think so. It's a weird sensation, trying to sleep on something moving."

Blaine chuckled. "You'll get used to it." He frowned as Kurt's eyes suddenly grew wide. "What's wrong, babe?"

The word tripped off his tongue like it was made to be there and it seemed to relax Kurt. Blaine decided he was going to use it as much as possible from now on. "Sorry, I'm a weird morning person. I forgot you slept here last night and I was trying to work out why you were in my room."

Blaine shook his head, smiling fondly. "You're a strange one, Kurt Hummel." He stood up, moving over to Kurt's bed and sitting down next to him. Kurt swung his feet out and the two sat side-by-side for a few moments before Kurt rested his head on Blaine's shoulder, yawning.

"Mm, you're comfortable. Can I just stay here?"

As much as Blaine wanted to say yes - especially since Kurt had just twined his arms around Blaine's waist, sighing happily - he knew that Kurt would enjoy the days activities. At least, he hoped. "I'm afraid not, we've got things to do today."

Kurt sighed, pulling away. Blaine looked down at him for a moment before asking the question that had been rolling through his mind for the past few minutes. "Kurt, why are you so affectionate this morning?"

He regretted the words the second they had left his lips. Kurt stiffened, pulling away and visibly sinking into himself, and Blaine realized Kurt thought he had rejected him. "No, baby, please don't. There's _nothing _wrong with it, I promise, quite the opposite in fact. It's just - well, you've never really..."

He trailed off, not sure how to put it.

"Never wanted to touch?" Kurt looked up. "I know. Apparently I'm a cuddly person when I'm tired." He chuckled before looking serious again. "But I guess I'm half comfortable enough with you to start doing things like that, and half just wanting myself to get used to this kind of stuff."

Blaine frowned. "Kurt, I don't want you to force yourself if you're not -"

"But I am ready, Blaine, that's the thing." Kurt reached out and took his hand. "We've been dating for ages now and you've been incredibly patient with me, with taking things at a snails pace. But I need to start moving forward, and I _want _to. Starting tonight."

Blaine knew anybody else would have taken it the wrong way, but he understood completely. He squeezed Kurt's hand before giving in to temptation and ruffling his hair.

Kurt gasped, his hands immediately flying up to cover his messy locks. "I - I didn't think about this part."

"You know you're perfect no matter what, right? Plus, you have gorgeous bed hair." Blaine was used to having to drop his compliments into casual conversation so that Kurt couldn't have the chance to deny them. "Anyway, I'm going to get changed. Attire of the day is swimwear."

He left a slightly dazed Kurt sitting on the bed and stepped into the bathroom, examining his own appearance in the mirror. Per Kurt's request, he was foregoing the gel for the week and already his hair was trying to rebel. _It's a wonder Kurt didn't mention it_, he thought to himself as he wet his hands and tried to flatten the flyaway curls. Giving it up as a lost cause, he quickly changed and left the bathroom to find Kurt had also changed and was running a comb through his hair. "Oh, Blaine?" Kurt chimed up without looking up from the pocket mirror lying in his lap. "I'm liking the bed head look on you too. Glad you decided to keep it."

Blaine rolled his eyes just as there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" he called.

The door opened to reveal David, also dressed in his swim trunks. "Just letting you know the guys are wandering around on the main deck trying to work out how to get breakfast. You may want to deal with them before Cameron starts eating the lifeboats."

"Shut up!" came Cameron from the hallway, before his head poked around the door too. "Hope we're not interrupting anything, but we're _starving_, Blaine."

Blaine rolled his eyes and Kurt stood, snapping his mirror shut. "At least we have something to interrupt," he snarked, breezing past Cameron and down the corridor, leaving the other boy standing with his mouth agape.

"Ouch," he muttered.

David laughed. "That's what you get for trying to wind up Kurt. I thought you'd learnt that by now."

Blaine just smiled at his dramatic boyfriend before following his lead. He knew Kurt had an impeccable sense of direction, but he still didn't want to have to spend half the day trying to find anybody who'd somehow made their way to the engine room. Stepping out onto the main deck, Blaine found himself faced with a group of hungry and energetic Warblers. "Blaine! Good to see you, hope you slept well, where's the food?"

Wes was bouncing from foot to foot and Blaine just shook his head. "Good morning to you all too!" He smiled cheerfully and the group groaned. "Okay, okay. Follow me."

Breakfast passed without too many incidents. After Blaine had finally lead the group down to the dining area and everybody had eaten to their hearts content - which, for some was four platefuls and left Blaine shaking his head and hoping they'd stocked up well enough before they left port - he called them to attention. "Okay, everyone, here's what we're doing today." Blaine stood on his seat, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Wes looked put out that his role was taken from him. "I've got one word for you all. Snorkeling."

The cheering of the group was cut short when Blaine removed his hands from behind his back and tossed a bag of frozen peas on the table. "Everybody needs one of these, they're in the freezer behind you. Grab one and meet me on the main deck."

Gesturing to Kurt, the two left before anybody could ask any questions. Kurt waited until they were out of earshot before turning his attention to Blaine. "Frozen peas?"

"You'll see." Blaine refused to tell Kurt any more than that, insisting that he'd like it better as a surprise. Kurt pouted, but was still standing by his side at the dive point when the rest of the boys emerged.

"Blaine, what's the deal?" David was holding his bag by the corner, looking confused.

In response, Blaine began tossing out snorkels and diving masks. "Put them on then come over here."

The group quickly fitted their masks before crowding around Blaine who opened his bag of peas. Sitting down, he dangled his feet in the cool water before emptying the contents into the water.

"What's that going to - _woah!_"

The rest of the Warblers made similar exclamations as the swarms of tropical fish appeared, nibbling hungrily at the peas. Kurt's hands were resting on his shoulders and Blaine glanced up to see his boyfriend's face alight, a huge smile on his face. "This is incredible!"

"Yeah, and we get to swim with them." With that, Blaine gave the group a smile and slipped off the edge into the water. He knew the others would follow fairly quickly, and he waited by the side of the boat until everybody else had joined him, treading water. "Don't go too far off, alright? And just come back whenever you get hungry again."

He took Kurt's hand and tugged him away from the rest of the group who were following the trail of peas. Taking the bag out of Kurt's hand, he opened it and scattered it in the other direction, watching as a new swarm of fish appeared. "Come on, babe."

Blaine had experienced this phenomenon many times before so, instead of focusing on the swarms of fish, he spent most of the time watching his boyfriend. Seeing the absolute delight on Kurt's face as he swam around kept the smile permanently on Blaine's face. He was vaguely aware of the other Warblers but only turned his attention from Kurt once - to tell Thad that _no_, he wasn't allowed to catch the fish and bring them home as pets.

"Blaine, this is amazing," Kurt murmured, trailing his fingers through the water. They were leaning up against the boat, having scattered the last of their peas out. The only others still in the water were Wes and Jessica off to their left - Blaine was trying to ignore them as they were making the most of their alone time - and Jeff and Nick, treading water a little further out. The others had long succumbed to hunger and gone back to lunch.

Blaine wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist and pulled him into his side. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said quietly, feeling Kurt's arm slip around his waist in response and his head lean into Blaine's shoulder. Without even thinking about it, he leant over and kissed the top of Kurt's head.

Kurt stilled slightly, but didn't move away. After a moment, he tipped his head back and looked up at Blaine, smiling. "That was a good thing, by the way."

Blaine rolled his eyes affectionately as Kurt turned his attention back to the fish.

* * *

><p>Kurt leant against the railing, staring down into the dark water as the last rays of the sun flickered across it. Behind him, the Warblers were having some kind of competition of who could stuff the most marshmallows in their mouth without swallowing them or throwing up, and Kurt wasn't exactly interested in watching.<p>

He wasn't the only one. Nick and Jeff had turned in already, to the wolf whistles of Cameron, and Wes and Jessica were taking a walk around the other side of the boat. Blaine had decided he was going to join in the competition so Kurt found himself standing alone.

Not that he minded, of course. Kurt had a lot of thinking to do about his and Blaine's relationship.

Kurt had surprised himself that morning with how cuddly he had been towards Blaine, and how _natural _it had felt. When Blaine had disappeared into the bathroom, Kurt had expected to feel embarrassed by how he had acted, but instead he felt oddly peaceful. And what he had told Blaine was the truth - he was ready to start moving forward. He cared about Blaine a lot and quite possibly even loved him if he was honest with himself, and he knew he could trust Blaine after all.

The entire afternoon had been spent just sunbathing, swimming and having fun, and Blaine had spent a lot of time hanging out with the other Warblers. Rather than feeling rejected like he had thought he would, Kurt was happy to sit around talking to Jeff and Nick, watching Blaine get thrown overboard out of the corner of his eye to make sure the guys weren't going to kill his boyfriend or anything. It was comfortable and easy, and Kurt realized their relationship had gotten to the stage where they could just _be _around each other without always having to be together.

And after he had thought about it for a long time, Kurt realized that the only things that had been holding him back from being physically affectionate with Blaine were an inbuilt need to defend himself - which wasn't needed at Dalton, nobody was going to judge them here - and a fear of rejection. But Kurt knew that Blaine wasn't going to reject him. So once he had worked out those two things, he knew he was ready.

The only thing left to work out was what to do.

Oh, of course Kurt knew the basics. And he certainly wasn't ready for _anything _sexual, but suddenly the simple act of hugging Blaine or cuddling with him or _kissing _him ... well, they seemed far more difficult than they should, simply because this was _Blaine_, someone he cared about far more than he ever thought he could.

There was a cheering from behind him - clearly Cameron had outlasted Thad in the competition. Blaine had been knocked out first, thankfully without throwing up because Kurt wasn't sure he'd be able to share a room with his boyfriend if he knew he had been sick. But now the deck grew quiet, the sound of chairs being settled into, and then footsteps behind him.

"Hey there." Blaine leant against the railing next to him, their arms brushing together softly.

Kurt turned to him and smiled, just taking in his boyfriend for a moment. Leaving the gel back at Dalton had done wonders for Blaine; he looked far more relaxed and free with his hair curling around his face. "Hi," he murmured, his smile growing wider.

Blaine smiled in response. "What's on your mind."

"You." Kurt certainly hadn't meant for it to sound so cliche, but it was the truth. It was enough for Blaine who ducked his head slightly before wrapping an arm around Kurt's waist again. Kurt leant into the touch, before deciding it was time to start moving things forward.

Kurt took a step in Blaine's direction, nudging him backwards a little until he was standing in front of him, his hands resting on the railing. Blaine's arm was still around his waist, and a few seconds later his other one came to join the first, his hands resting on Kurt's stomach. Every part of Kurt's awareness came to focus on those hands, slightly splayed and causing a warmth to run through his body. He leant his head back with a sigh, resting it against Blaine's.

Blaine hummed quietly, clearly happy about this new development, and tightened his arms a little, pulling Kurt slightly closer. There were no words spoken as the two watched the sky grow completely dark and small pinpricks of light appear. Kurt just focused on the feeling of Blaine behind him, Blaine's curls tickling the side of his face lightly.

The deck emptied after awhile, and Blaine and Kurt were the only ones left. Kurt worked up all of his courage and turned in Blaine's arms to face him, lifting his hands to rest around Blaine's neck. And then, simply because it felt like the right thing to do, he leant in and rested his forehead against Blaine's.

Blaine made that soft murmuring noise that Kurt had associated with happiness, a gentle smile crossing his face. Kurt knew that their lips were close and knew that _Blaine _knew that too, and he knew they both wanted it... but he couldn't forget one important fact that caused him to pull away, sighing.

"Too far?" Blaine asked instantly.

Kurt shook his head. "Not at all. I just hate marshmallows."

It took a few seconds, but Blaine caught on and chuckled. "Come to think of it, my teeth do feel ridiculously gross. Let's turn in, and I can get this crap out of my mouth."

Blaine's hands disappearing from around his waist made Kurt realize just how much he wanted them back there. And then he remembered that he and Blaine were sharing a room and they could cuddle all _night _if they wanted to. Grabbing Blaine's hand, he tugged him towards the room, Blaine following obediently.

When they arrived back, Blaine took the bathroom first while Kurt quickly changed. As soon as Blaine was out, Kurt hurried through his moisturizing routinue, feeling the comfortable feeling from earlier slip away with every second to be replaced with nerves. By the time he left the bathroom, he was twisting his fingers together, not entirely sure _what _he was nervous about, just that he was.

Blaine noticed immediately of course. "Kurt, if it's freaking you out, we can wait."

"No, I want to do this." Apparently Blaine could tell it wasn't worth arguing over, because the next thing Kurt knew he was in Blaine's arms again, and _oh, this is why I'm so determined to do this. _

Then Blaine was gently tugging him across to the bed, not that Kurt was fighting him. Blaine let go for a moment, lying on his side and looking up at Kurt. He took a deep breath, sitting on the edge of the bed before lying next to Blaine, his back up against his boyfriend's chest. As Blaine's arms wrapped around him again, all the lingering fears slipped away to be replaced with an incredible comfort.

"Good?" Blaine leant over, murmuring in his ear and Kurt couldn't help but shiver as the breath ghosted over his skin. He simply murmured his reply, suddenly realizing how tired he was.

Blaine caught on too, chuckling lightly and sending vibrations through Kurt. "Go to sleep, babe. I'll see you in the morning."

"Mm, okay. G'night. Love you."

As Kurt slipped off to sleep, he wondered why Blaine had suddenly gone still behind him but couldn't stay awake long enough to find out.

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><p><strong>I'm totally counting this as a cliffhanger. Totally. I also sent this end section to Angela with the title: i ttlly jst, like, writ a clffhangar!111!<strong>

**Because, ya know, I'm a tween who can't spell. Go me. **

**I know Kurt didn't do his moisturizing routine in the morning. I'd like to think that he's not so obsessed with his skin that he couldn't skip a morning here and there. And do we ever see him doing his skincare in the morning? I can't remember it, I can only remember the night ones. Either way, he's on a cruise so meh. And the frozen peas thing was told to me by Angela and I loved it.**

**And the marshmallow thing? Because who would want to kiss a guy who's had his mouth stuffed full of pink fluff? Not me. And I was told that pink marshmallows aren't common in America and I was legitimately shocked. I **_**love **_**pink marshmallows! Just... you know, not when they're stuffed in someone's mouth. **


	3. Day Three

**I'm really really sorry this chapter was so long in coming! But I had to parallel it with the posting of _Kiss_ so they'd be up at the same time. In the meantime, I have been working on this fic and I've only got one and a half chapters left of it to write! I don't even know how I managed to do that with _ten _WIP's, but I have. So this story will actually be completed pretty soon :) **

**And now that I've told you that it's paralleled in _Kiss_, you all know what's coming this chapter. My apologies for ruining it. To make up for it, I'll post again in a few days :) **

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><p>Kurt woke slowly, blinking furiously against the harsh sunlight before deciding it was much easier to just shut his eyes and ignore it. After all, there was no reason to wake up, he could just stay snuggled into his warm bed and ignore the sun in his face.<p>

Then he realized his bed didn't face the sun.

Then he realized there was a pair of arms around his waist and his head was resting on something that, while being as warm and comfortable as a pillow, was distinctly _not _a pillow.

Kurt decided opening his eyes again was probably a good idea at this point. When they finally focused, he lifted his head slightly, and immediately burnt the image in front of him into his mind forever.

Blaine was still fast asleep, his head turned slightly away from the invading sunlight. His face was completely relaxed, his breathing light and gentle and Kurt absolutely could _not _pull his eyes away from his boyfriend. After all, he knew Blaine wasn't perfect, not by a long shot. But seeing him lying there, his hair a messy halo around his head, Kurt could easily stare at him all day and not get bored.

But that was only one option. The other was to wake Blaine so they could spend some time together before the rest of the Warblers invaded their day. And suddenly that seemed much more appealing than simply staring.

Lifting one hand from Blaine's chest, he gently traced his fingers down his boyfriend's cheek. Blaine murmured something in his sleep, shifting away from Kurt's fingers. Biting back the urge to chuckle, Kurt leant down and pressed his lips against Blaine's temple, running his other hand across Blaine's jawline.

Pulling away, Kurt watched Blaine's eyes flicker open, blinking a couple of times before lifting his head slightly. "Hi," he murmured, his voice rough with sleep.

"Hi," Kurt replied, watching Blaine yawn. "Sleep well?"

"Mm." Blaine still looked a little out of it, but was waking up a lot quicker than Kurt usually did. "You?"

Kurt thought about it for a second and realized he had. "Yeah. Better than usual actually."

Blaine was awake enough to smirk - something Kurt found highly unfair. "Glad you were comfortable. And I certainly approved of the wake up."

Kurt felt the blush forming and buried his head into Blaine's chest again. He felt Blaine laugh, running his hands over Kurt's back. "I like this idea. We don't need to be up for a bit longer and I want to take full advantage of 'cuddly Kurt'."

He knew his blush was in full force but Blaine's arms were wrapping around him tighter and he couldn't quite bring himself to care. Kurt snuggled in closer, twisting his legs in with Blaine's and resting his hands on Blaine's chest. Blaine ducked his head down to kiss Kurt on top of his head, sighing happily.

There was silence for a few moments before Blaine spoke. "I need to talk to you about something," he murmured. His tone wasn't bad, but Kurt still stiffened, pulling away from Blaine's grasp and sitting up against the wall.

"What is it?" he asked, looking down into his boyfriend's face.

Blaine smiled reassuringly, propping himself up on his elbows. "It's not a bad thing, I promise. I just want to know whether you remember what you said when you were falling asleep last night."

Kurt only needed to think for a few seconds before it came back to him in full force.

_I told Blaine I love him. _

The look on his face must have reflected his inner panic as Blaine sat up, pulling him into his arms. "Hey, hey it's fine. Relax, okay? I said it wasn't bad."

"But it is!" Kurt burst out, unable to stop the torrent of words. "I mean, yes it's true but I didn't want it to be said that way, I wanted something meaningful and -"

Blaine lifted a hand, pressing it to Kurt's lips gently. "Stop. Trust me, it was meaningful. Considering we were cuddling together in the same bed for the first time, I'm definitely going to remember it. But if it makes you feel better, I'll wait to say the words until sometime we can deem as 'perfect', okay?"

Kurt shook his head, smiling. "You're so corny. But yes." Blaine leant in and kissed his forehead. Kurt immediately found himself thinking of a much better place those lips could be - namely against his own - and his face flushed. Blaine paused, a couple of inches from his face and scrutinized him.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, his voice slightly teasing, and it was obvious that Blaine _knew _and he might have even been thinking the same because his eyes just darted down to Kurt's _lips..._

A loud hammering on the door made Kurt almost jump out of Blaine's lap. Blaine held him tighter, rolling his eyes. "What?" he called out.

"Sorry, guys. I wouldn't interrupt if it wasn't important.. can I come in?"

Jeff's voice sounded slightly panicked and Kurt frowned. "Sure, come in."

The door opened and Jeff poked his head in, looking across at the two boys without batting an eyelid. Probably because he and Nick were used to getting themselves in the same position... and probably because he was biting his lip and looking worried.

"Jeff, what's wrong?" Kurt unwrapped his arms from Blaine and turned to face Jeff fully.

"Nick's sick."

Kurt was off the bed in an instant, Blaine following quickly behind. "What kind of sick?" Blaine asked, rummaging in his bag for something.

"I don't know. He woke up in the middle of the night saying his stomach hurt and he felt dizzy. I was going to get you then but he convinced me not to and then fell asleep again. But I woke up this morning to him throwing up in the bathroom." Jeff was wringing his hands together and Kurt pulled the boy into a hug. He had always been closer to Jeff than any other Warbler - excluding Blaine of course - and hated seeing the boy so worried.

Blaine stood, holding a box of tablets. "Okay, it sounds like it's either an allergy of some kind, sea sickness or food poisoning - and heaven forbid, because we've all been eating the same food. Does he have any allergies?"

Jeff shook his head as the three left the room, making their way along the corridor. "But I did notice the sea was kind of rough when we woke up."

"That could mean we potentially have others who aren't well." Blaine popped a couple of the tablets and gave them to Kurt. "Take these to Nick, I'll go check on everybody else."

The three boys parted ways, Jeff leading the way into his and Nick's room. Nick was slumped in the bathroom, his face pale and Jeff immediately knelt next to him, brushing his hair off his forehead. "How are you feeling, babe?"

Nick just shook his head. Kurt grabbed a glass and filled it with water. "Blaine gave us these, he said they should help," Jeff continued. But before he could hand them over, Nick's face grew paler and he ducked his head over the toilet again.

Kurt was instantly backing out of the room. "I'm really sorry, and I hope you feel better but Jeff, I can't _do _vomit."

Jeff nodded, rubbing Nick's back. "Go, I'll call if we need anything."

Kurt bolted, slamming the door. Yes, he felt bad for abandoning the boy when he wasn't well, but he had Jeff. And since Kurt was a sympathetic vomiter, he figured Jeff wouldn't want to end up with two sick people anyway. Heading back down to his and Blaine's room, he found his boyfriend was still out. Grabbing some clothes, Kurt headed into the bathroom to get ready for the day and do his moisturizing routine. As he was finishing up, he heard Blaine enter the room and quickly stepped out to meet him.

"So Nick isn't the only one," Blaine announced, tossing the box back into his bag. "Thad and Cameron are both throwing up and David's just feeling dizzy. Wes and Jessica are both fine, they've already gone down for breakfast and are more than happy to just spend the day onboard while everybody recovers."

Kurt shook his head. "I didn't even realize until I looked out the window, and I guess last night must've been worse. I can't believe it's knocked everybody out of commission like that."

Blaine bit his lip. "I hope it doesn't ruin the cruise for them."

His boyfriend looked guilty and Kurt shook his head, wrapping his arms around him. "You can't be blamed for the weather, you know that. You've given them medication, they just need to throw up a bit more and sleep it off, it'll all be good."

Blaine hummed in agreement, resting his head on Kurt's shoulder. His boyfriend was still shirtless and Kurt felt the heat where his hands were resting on Blaine's back. He pulled away quickly, swallowing roughly. "Um, well why don't you go and get dressed and we'll have breakfast."

Kurt thought Blaine would be confused about his sudden change of demeanor. Instead, his boyfriend just gave him a look, smiling slightly, before grabbing his clothes and heading into the bathroom. Kurt watched him go, shaking his head. _It's like he knows everything that's going on in my head... so why doesn't he do anything about it?_

Before Kurt's mind could go overboard and start obsessing over whether Blaine actually _wanted _to take things further - and even that sounded wrong in his mind, it's not like he wanted _sex_ or anything - Blaine left the bathroom, running his fingers through his messy hair. "Ready to go?"

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Wes and Jessica were on their way out as the two boys headed in. Blaine quickly filled them in on the status of everybody else before they headed up to the top deck. And now it was just him and Blaine. As they ate, there was occasional conversation, and it certainly wasn't awkward because Kurt couldn't remember the last time he had felt awkward around Blaine. But the tension in the room was so _thick_. Any time Blaine brushed up against his arm accidentally, or their legs touched together, Kurt would find himself drifting off into thoughts of what he and Blaine _could _be doing... and then jerking himself back whenever Blaine asked a question or said something.

Kurt knew he was obvious, and Blaine just continued to give that soft smile of his and repeat his question and Kurt could tell he was just _waiting_ for Kurt to either explain what was going on - not that he needed to, Blaine was a freaking _mind reader _or something - or for him to explode.

Exploding looked like the most likely action right now.

"So, what do you want to do with the day?" Blaine stretched his arms above his head before lowering them, one arm magically appearing around Kurt's waist.

Kurt snorted. "Smooth," he quipped, Blaine simply winking in reply. "Well, we don't really need to make plans, do we? Why don't we just go for a walk and see what ends up happening?"

_Oh wow, that could be taken really badly, _Kurt realized a moment later. But Blaine just smiled again and stood, offering him a hand. "That sounds fine to me. Shall we?"

Kurt took the hand offered to him, standing and linking their fingers together. And even after sleeping in the same bed and cuddling all the time, the simple touch of fingertips still made Kurt's heart flutter. He could feel Blaine's pulse, beating against his own wrist as they walked, and it just reminded him that the heart causing that pulse belonged to _him_.

Call it cliche, but Kurt never wanted these kinds of feelings to go away. Even when their relationship eventuated beyond the touch of fingers - and Kurt was planning on making that happen soon, he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep from kissing Blaine after all - he didn't want to lose the way his heart skipped a beat every time he saw his boyfriend, the smile that crossed both of their faces when they met up again after being apart. Kurt wanted their relationship to stay romantic forever.

"Hey."

Kurt snapped out of his musing, realizing that Blaine had led him to the far side of the deck that Kurt hadn't seen yet. Rather than being an open area with lots of lounge chairs like the other deck, this was more quiet and secluded, as if it were made for a couple. Kurt imagined that Blaine's parents probably spent their time here, and realizing that Blaine had brought him here was doing all sorts of things to Kurt's mind that it probably shouldn't be.

Blaine tugged on his hand lightly, turning Kurt to face him. "What's going on up there?" He tapped Kurt's forehead lightly with his free hand and Kurt chuckled.

"Just - just thinking." _Please, just ask what about! Then we can talk about it and I don't have to sit here trying to figure out what to do! _

But of course Blaine didn't. He simply smiled, lowering his hand to wrap around Kurt's waist, drawing him closer. "You think a lot," he teased, dropping Kurt's other hand to pull him in properly. "I just want to hold you for awhile, is that okay?"

Kurt would have raised an eyebrow if his head hadn't been resting against Blaine's shoulder, rendering the gesture ineffective. _Let me think, my wonderful and near-perfect _boyfriend _wants to 'just hold me' for awhile and I should have an objection?_

Blaine seemed to take his silence as an answer, tightening his hold around Kurt's waist. Kurt trailed his hands through Blaine's curls lightly, eliciting a satisfied hum from his boyfriend. "You're gorgeous," he murmured before he could stop himself.

"Mm. So are you," Blaine whispered back, nuzzling his head into Kurt's neck. Kurt sighed happily, wondering at how in the space of six months, his life had gone from being the victim of a confused homosexual bully to standing here with his boyfriend, feeling like the most important person in the world - or at least in the eyes of Blaine Anderson. Which was good, because Blaine was certainly the most important person to Kurt at this moment.

And Kurt wanted to show him that.

Untangling one of his hands from Blaine's hair, he moved it around until he was cupping his boyfriend's chin and lifted it up so their eyes were meeting again. "I love you," he whispered.

And Blaine just gave that smile again, but _finally_, Kurt understood. Blaine wanted this too, but he wanted it to be something that Kurt had given him. Every other kiss Kurt had experienced had been taken from him, this time it was his gift to give freely.

So Kurt leant in and kissed him.

They stood together as time whirled on around them, caught in a single perfect moment. And Kurt knew right there and then that he could never love another like he did Blaine. They were meant for each other.

As they broke away from the kiss, Blaine leant their foreheads together, staring into Kurt's eyes. "I love you too, Kurt."

Kurt stared at him for a few more seconds before tilting his head, moving back in to kiss Blaine again softly. This time, he allowed his lips to part slightly, taking in the taste of Blaine and committing it to memory. There was nothing about this moment that he could even begin to put into words, so he didn't try. He just kept kissing Blaine, knowing it spoke everything that he needed to say.

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><p>All those years that Blaine had heard people talking about 'walking on cloud nine;' now he could finally appreciate it for himself. Ever since Kurt had kissed him that afternoon, the smile hadn't left his face and had grown every time one of them had leant in for another kiss, knowing they could do this whenever they wanted now. The rest of their day had been spent in a state of complete relaxation - talking, cuddling, wandering around hand-in-hand and, of course, a lot more kissing.<p>

Even heading down to check on his invalid friends - alone; he had discovered that Kurt didn't handle vomit well and had had left him on the top deck - couldn't dampen Blaine's mood. Knocking quietly on the first door, he opened it to see Jeff flipping through a magazine. Nick was sprawled on the bed, his head in Jeff's lap with the other boy gently stroking his hair.

"He hasn't thrown up for a few hours," Jeff reported quietly. "I think the worst of it is over, he's still very pale but if he sleeps it off, I think he'll be better by morning."

Blaine knelt next to the bed, taking a closer look at Nick. The boy was pale but he was looking better and Blaine agreed with Jeff's assessment.

"So, how's the day been?"

Blaine couldn't hide his smile and Jeff noticed instantly. "Something happened. Spill!"

"Kurt might have kissed me." Blaine shrugged, attempting to look nonchalant despite the grin spreading across his face at being able to say the words out loud for the first time.

Jeff covered his mouth, obviously trying not to squeal and wake his boyfriend. "That's great, Blaine! I'm so happy for you guys."

Blaine didn't miss the way Jeff's eyes dropped to Nick a second later. "Have you guys -?"

Jeff shook his head. "Nick's still working through some stuff from his past. I'm leaving that ball in his court."

"But you want to."

"Of course." Jeff smiled, running his fingers through Nick's hair again. "He's gorgeous, and he's mine. Why wouldn't I want to?"

Blaine chatted with the other Warbler for a couple of minutes before heading off to check on the other Warblers. The verdict was the same in the other rooms - nobody was throwing up anymore and all thought they'd be better by morning.

As Blaine walked back down the hallway, he thought about his conversation with Jeff. He didn't know much about Nick's past, only that he never went home to see his family, but the same sentiments were there as with Kurt.

Blaine had been dying to kiss Kurt for not only the entire day, but ever since they had started dating. He knew Kurt's past history with kissing people and being kissed, and he knew that the moment he shared a kiss with someone special, it would be a hugely defining moment for his boyfriend. And it needed to be on Kurt's terms, when Kurt was 100% ready. And Blaine had been willing to wait.

It wasn't like Blaine had been thinking from experience either. His only kiss was a drunken one he didn't even remember, and when Kurt had finally made that moment happen it was life changing for Blaine as well. The smile returned to his face as he reminisced, and it was only widened when he reached the top deck and heard the sound of his boyfriend's voice being carried across to him.

"_Maybe I'm amazed at the way _

_You love me all the time,_

_Maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you,"_

Blaine shook his head, his smile only growing wider. He walked over to Kurt, wrapping his arms around his waist as Kurt continued to sing. _This is my boyfriend and he's amazing and I love him. _

"_Maybe I'm amazed at the way,_

_You pulled me out of time,_

_And hung me on a line,_

_Maybe I'm amazed at the way_

_I really need you."_

Kurt trailed off, letting the final notes linger before turning in Blaine's arms. "Hey there."

"Hi," Blaine murmured. As much as he wanted to continue kissing Kurt, he needed to know what was going on. "Any particular reason behind that song choice?"

Kurt ducked his head, but Blaine immediately grabbed his chin gently. "Hey, no hiding from me. I love you, no matter what you say."

The words had the desired effect. Kurt blushed, but spoke. "I'm just afraid that we've fallen too hard. I mean, we're in _high school. _How many high school relationships actually last outside of school? And then we have college and we may go to different colleges or even different states and long distance relationships work on TV and movies but could we really -"

This time Blaine did kiss him, but it was more to stop the rambling coming out of his boyfriend's mouth. "Don't you think I've already thought about all this, baby? It scares me too, more than I've ever let on."

Blaine led Kurt over to one of the seats, sitting down and pulling him into his lap. Kurt immediately curled his head into Blaine's chest as he continued talking. "I don't know what will happen. Ten years down the track, we both might have found other people and be very happy without being together -"

"I don't think I could."

Blaine paused, blinking a couple of times. Kurt's voice was muffled, but he knew what he had heard. "Neither," he admitted hesitantly. "So maybe we will still be together. But what matters is that we're together _now_, okay? We're going to take this thing one day and one step at a time and do everything we can to make this work because this is what we've _both _fought for, for so long."

Kurt hummed in agreement, still nestled into his chest. "Damn straight."

Blaine laughed. "There's my Kurt." He glanced down at his boyfriend who didn't respond. "Tired, babe?"

"Mm," Kurt mumbled quietly.

Now that he thought about it, Blaine realized he was pretty tired as well. "Okay, let's get to the room." He paused, still staring at the prone figure curled up in his lap. "Can you walk or do you want me to carry you."

There was no reply, and Blaine realized Kurt had fallen asleep. Moving carefully, Blaine scooped Kurt into his arms and stood, amazed at how light his boyfriend was. Kurt immediately buried his head back into Blaine's shoulder in his sleep as the boy took slow even steps to get back to the room.

It was only when he got to his door that he realized that it was shut. As he deliberated for a few seconds whether to put Kurt down, a quiet voice spoke up. "Here, let me."

Jessica stepped forward and opened the door. Blaine nodded his thanks, moving into the room and placing Kurt gently on the bed. He knew his boyfriend would flip in the morning when he realized he had forgotten his moisturizing routine, but Blaine didn't have the heart to wake him.

Turning around, Blaine saw Jessica was still standing in the doorway. "Can I talk to you?" she murmured quietly. Blaine nodded, walking back out of the room and closing the door gently behind him.

"Look, I've been talking with Wes a lot about you and Kurt." Jessica looked down at her feet, playing with strands of her hair. "And I guess when I first met you guys, I didn't really know how to act. You're honestly the first openly gay people I've ever met, and seeing you so affectionate around each other - well, I didn't know what to think."

Blaine nodded. He had always know that Jessica had trouble being herself around him and Kurt - Kurt noticed it a lot more than he did though.

"But I just want you to know that it's nothing to do with homophobia. I didn't have an issue with _what _you two are doing. It was just... just different, is all."

"I understand."

Jessica looked up, surprised. "You do?"

Blaine smiled reassuringly. "Maybe not first hand, but I know what you're trying to say. That's how my Dad was when I first came out."

"I'm sorry. Have things - gotten better?"

Blaine shook his head. "No. Not really. But that's not what we're discussing. You said you've been talking to Wes?"

"Yeah." Jessica flicked her hair back, straightening up. "He showed me that you guys aren't that different from me and him. And something just sort of made sense and ... well, now I don't even know why there was an issue. I just thought you should know, and I wanted to apologize for the way I've been acting, especially to Kurt."

"I think he'll appreciate that. And I do too. Thank you, Jessica."

The girl surprised Blaine by pulling him into a quick hug. "Pass on the message for me?"

"Of course. Only if you pass on one for me though." Jessica cocked her head, listening. "Tell Wes that Blaine said; '_It's _happened'." He placed extra emphasis on the first word, knowing that Wes would understand what he was talking about straight away.

Jessica looked confused, but agreed to pass it on anyway. Bidding him goodnight, she headed off down the hallway, leaving Blaine wondering whether life could get any more perfect. Then he remembered the sleeping boyfriend in the room, and grinned. _Maybe it can. _

Opening the door quietly, Blaine saw Kurt had curled himself into a ball, facing the wall. Smiling fondly at his boyfriend, Blaine quickly got changed and turned off the lights. Climbing in by the foot of the bed, Blaine moved up so he was facing Kurt. He slipped an arm around Kurt's waist, who moved into the touch, resting his head against Blaine's chest again.

Blaine let his head fall back against the pillow, allowing the events of the day to run through his head. He wasn't sure whether the day itself could have gotten much better, but he knew that life had many other perfect days in store for him and Kurt - whether they were together or apart. And Blaine hoped with his whole heart that they would stay together, because he loved this boy more than he knew he was capable of.

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><p><strong>Again, sorry this was so long in coming! But there'll be more very soon, I promise :)<strong>


	4. Day Four

**If you've joined this fic because **_**Kiss **_**brought you here, welcome! :) Hopefully you've read the other chapters by now and you know what's happening. If not, it's something along the lines of: blah blah, on a boat, blah blah, Klaine fluff, blah blah, Cameron's a tool, blah blah, now they're all cuddly, blah blah, oh look, they kissed! ****You can see the high regard I have for my own work ;)**

**At the time of writing - and still - I had an obsession for the Klaine skit on Glee Live. I adore the two London ones; the 'ELLO LONDON! and the 'We are now in the United Kurtdom'. And, of course, who could forget the amazing Dublin one, that I've watched far too many times from far too many angles? Anyway, spot the reference in this fic ;) **

**I know I don't make a lot of mention of the staff. They're paid to stay out of the way. I don't really care who they are or what they look like, Blaine has minimal interaction with them and the rest treat them like Brad the Pianist is treated ;)**

**Finally, I got a review from _Wyny_, who asked me some good questions that I thought I'd address here for anybody else who might have thought them too. First, where are they sailing? Now, I'm not American and I've never been to America, let alone Ohio, so I don't know how close they'd be to open sea but I've been told it wouldn't be a car trip to get there. So, this was something I didn't research beforehand. I don't have an answer. It's AU so consider it an AU where there's a magical ocean near Ohio ;) and second, how does the room work? Well, there's two decent sized beds in the room. They're not quite doubles, but they are big enough for two people to sleep together in the fashion that these two do quite comfortably. I hope that clears things up! If you're ever unsure of how I've portrayed something or it doesn't make sense, do let me know and I'll try to clear it up :) **

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><p>Blaine was brought slowly to consciousness by the feeling of light kisses being pressed to his lips. Still half-asleep, he chased the lips, pulling Kurt closer in to him to kiss him properly. <em>Now that's what I call a wake-up...<em>

As they broke apart, Blaine squinted his eyes open to see Kurt staring down at him, his hands resting on Blaine's chest. "Good morning," he murmured softly.

Blaine yawned, reaching up to rub at his eyes before wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist. "Morning, babe. Sleep well?"

Kurt nodded. "I can't remember getting here though. I must've been pretty tired."

"Actually, you were asleep." Blaine chuckled at the confusion on his boyfriend's face. "I carried you in," he elaborated. "You fell asleep on me on the deck."

Kurt blushed, ducking his head slightly. "I'm sorry."

Blaine frowned. "Why? You know I don't have a problem with it at all." He knew it was something to do with Kurt's past and he also knew it was one of those things they needed to discuss before their relationship could keep moving forward effortlessly.

It wasn't just about last night, Blaine knew that. Any time he tried to do something for Kurt, to help him out in some way, his boyfriend would insist on doing it himself or feel guilty. Blaine knew a fair amount about Kurt's experiences at McKinley, especially in regards to Finn, but he wasn't sure why Kurt had such an aversion to being helped.

Kurt sighed, pulling himself off Blaine and sitting up against the wall. Blaine immediately followed him, taking one of Kurt's hands in both of his. He wanted to put an arm around his boyfriend, but if Kurt got emotional then he most likely wouldn't want to be hugged. "It all goes back to when I was dealing with the Karofsky stuff. There was one day when I was just copping it quite bad. Mr. Schue found me and took me into his office and said something about me not handling it as well as I usually do."

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "Because you should be _handling it _perfectly well alone, of course." He shook his head incredulously. "I can't understand that man sometimes. But sorry, go on."

"Anyway, it was then that I realized that he and the rest of the school expected me to just stand up for myself. I mean, occasionally the Glee jocks were willing to step in and beat someone up for me, but only if they 'crossed a line;' the casual bullying was okay." Kurt sighed again and Blaine frowned. He knew the bullying had affected Kurt and the lack of support as well, but he never realized just how _alone _Kurt had been.

"So after that, I just fended for myself. I had never been the kind to ask people for favors anyway, and after that I just ... never did. And then you came along and you're always wanting to do stuff for me and I just keep wondering what the catch is." Kurt trailed off, staring down at his lap.

Blaine immediately grabbed Kurt, pulling him into his lap. "Baby, I know you've gone through crap, but I need you to know that there will _never _be a catch. I do things for you because I love you and I want to make you happy, and that's it. You're not alone anymore."

Kurt tilted his head up to kiss Blaine again, except this was different than the others they had shared the previous day. Yesterday had been soft and sweet - this was needy, as if Kurt was trying to put all of his fears and concerns into the kiss. Blaine kissed him back gently, sharing his love and understanding through the action. _I'm not going anywhere, _he thought silently.

Kurt pulled away, blushing slightly. "Well, now that we've had our serious moment and I tried to lip-rape you, can we do that properly?"

Blaine laughed. "I don't have any objections to a good lip-rape," he said, waggling his eyebrows. Kurt snorted with laughter, pressing a hand into Blaine's chest.

"Babe, no. You look like a creepy old man when you do that."

Blaine's jaw dropped in mock-shock and he shook his head. "Here I am telling you I want to kiss you some more, and you're saying I'm creepy." He folded his arms, attempting to shuffle away without tipping Kurt off his lap. "No kisses for you then."

Kurt raised an eyebrow before leaning in and kissing him quickly. "Really?"

"Well, I suppose..." Blaine pulled Kurt closer, attaching their lips again. Kurt melted against him, kissing back in the same easy manner they had been yesterday. And while it was still an amazing sensation, Blaine found himself wondering how much Kurt could be comfortable with. So, as Kurt tilted his head slightly, pressing closer, Blaine allowed his lips to part slightly and captured Kurt's bottom lip in his.

Kurt stiffened, and Blaine immediately pulled away. "I'm sorry, too much?" he asked, staring concernedly into Kurt's eyes, trying to read the emotion there. And then Kurt was leaning against him fully, kissing him again and Blaine took that as a positive sign. He nibbled lightly on Kurt's bottom lip, feeling his boyfriend's breathing quicken, and Kurt's hands fisting in his hair, and Blaine wondered whether the boat had crashed somewhere along the line and they had all died and he was currently in heaven because this was -

A loud banging on the wall right above Blaine's head made them jump, Kurt pulling away angrily. "What?"

"Wakey wakey, lovebirds!" Cameron's voice sing-songed through the wall and Blaine groaned.

Kurt jumped off his lap and marched over to the door, swinging it open. "Cameron, please stop living your love life vicariously through others by attempting to destroy theirs already." Cameron said something that Blaine couldn't make out, but it caused Kurt to blush and shut the door hurriedly.

"What was that?"

"He - uh." Kurt quickly grabbed some clothes and all but rushed towards the bathroom. "He said I looked thoroughly made out with."

As the door slammed shut, Blaine began to laugh. "It's a good thing, babe!" he yelled. Still chuckling, he quickly changed for the day, digging through his bag to find his pink sunglasses just as Kurt exited the bathroom. Blaine entered, brushing his teeth quickly before turning to leave and finding his way blocked by Kurt.

"Blaine."

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "Kurt?"

"I thought you left them back at Dalton." Kurt gestured to the hot pink sunglasses in his hand and he grinned.

"That's what I made you think, babe."

Kurt took a step forwards, holding out a hand. "Give me the sunglasses, Blaine."

"Never!" Blaine ducked around Kurt, running out the door. Behind him, he heard Kurt shriek before chasing after him. "You'll never catch me alive!" he screamed over his shoulder, pushing past a tired-looking David and running down towards the dining area with Kurt in hot pursuit. As soon as he reached the room, he ducked behind one of the tables where Wes, Jessica, Nick and Jeff were all eating. "Hide me!" he whispered theatrically.

"Blaine Anderson!"

Nick leant back, raising an eyebrow. "Dude, what did you _do?_"

Kurt appeared around the end of the table. "Come on, Blaine. Give me the sunglasses and nobody gets hurt."

There was a moment of silence, then the rest of the occupants of the room cracked up. "Here's a simple fact you need to learn, Kurt," David chipped in from the doorway. "Nothing separates Blaine from those sunglasses. We've tried, believe me."

Kurt shook his head, raising his hands in surrender. "Fine. Be an abomination to fashion."

Blaine stood, crossing the gap between them and kissing Kurt quickly. "You know you love me," he murmured.

"Yeah. I do."

A cough from Thad reminded Blaine of the rest of the occupants of the room. Sighing, he turned around to see every face turned in their direction, most people looking amused. "Ah... so, glad to see you're all looking better?" He propped his sunglasses on the top of his head and sat down next to David, Kurt sliding in beside him and both boys ignoring the looks they were being sent. Gradually, everybody resumed normal conversation and the blush faded from Kurt's cheeks.

Blaine felt someone tap him on the shoulder and turned to see a member of the staff. "We've arrived, Mister Anderson," the man murmured quietly before stepping back into the kitchen.

"_Mister _Anderson?" Kurt smirked at him and Blaine simply shook his head, standing on his seat.

"Okay, we're going off the boat today. And tomorrow for that matter." A cheer rang out and Blaine chuckled. "You don't even know what we're doing!"

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Please," he said. "We're clearly going to the beach."

Blaine deflated, sitting back down. "Go get ready, then." The rest of the Warblers hastily finished breakfast and headed out to grab whatever they needed. He turned to Kurt to ask him something, then paused. Kurt was staring at the leaving Warblers, frowning. "What's wrong, babe?"

"Huh? Oh, no, nothing's wrong." Kurt turned to him, suddenly grinning. "I was just trying to work out what that look on Nick's face was about, and I think I've got it."

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "Was it by any chance the same look you had for most of yesterday?"

"I think so." Kurt clapped his hands together excitedly. "We need to make sure the others give them some time alone without being obvious about it."

Blaine rolled his eyes, standing and offering a hand to Kurt. "Subtle Warblers?"

Kurt laughed. "Right, what was I thinking?" He stood, facing Blaine for a moment. Now that the room was empty, Blaine had no qualms about pulling Kurt into his arms and kissing him again. Kurt hummed lightly against his lips, wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck. They kissed lightly for a few seconds before Kurt pulled away, whispering against his lips. "You know anybody could come in and catch us?"

"And?"

Kurt shook his head, pulling away fully. "Come on. Bring your hideous sunglasses and let's go."

As he turned to walk away, Blaine grabbed his hand, spinning him back around. "Admit it," he said in a low voice. "You _love _the sunglasses." Blaine walked past Kurt and up the stairs, grinning as he heard a spluttering noise behind him. _Broke him again._

* * *

><p>"I'm <em>burning<em>."

Blaine chuckled, kicking his legs out along his towel and resting against the tree. "Babe, you're fine. You've got like, ten layers of sunscreen on."

Kurt frowned, examining his skin. "I'm porcelain, in case you hadn't noticed. All it takes is one missed spot and I'll burn completely."

"Yeah, you've told me." Blaine shook his head fondly, reaching out his arms. "Here, come think about something else." Kurt rolled his eyes but obediently moved closer, curling into his boyfriend's chest and resting his legs across Blaine's. Gazing across the beach, he watched the remainder of the group involved in some version of beach soccer that involved tossing someone into the water after each goal scored. As Wes was thrown in head first by a laughing David and Jessica, Kurt frowned.

"Hey, where's Nick and Jeff?"

Blaine raised a hand lazily and pointed in the other direction before dropping it back to Kurt's waist, still staring out across the water. Kurt leant forward slightly to see the two boys lying together on the beach, each propped on one elbow and leaning towards each other. Kurt could only see Jeff, but recognized the look in his eyes immediately. "Blaine," he breathed quietly. "Be incredibly subtle about it, but _look_."

Blaine slowly turned his head to look at the two boys, Kurt leaning forward slightly. Just as they did, Kurt saw Nick close the distance between them, pressing his lips against Jeff's.

"Blaine!"

Blaine chuckled quietly. "I saw, babe." But he had a huge grin on his face as well. "About time, isn't it?"

Kurt bit his lip, trying to keep his smile under control. "No, I think it was a perfect time for them. Just like it was perfect for us." He leant up, turning Blaine's head to kiss him quickly before resting back against his chest. "Oh, and you owe me ten bucks."

Blaine sighed. "My wallet's back on the boat. And we're only five minutes from leaving, I nearly won."

"Yeah, yeah." Kurt winked at him, before glancing back at the two boys who seemed to have realized the same thing that he and Blaine had realized yesterday - kissing was something they wanted to do a lot of as much as possible. "I hope they come up for air soon."

"I'd hate to be the one to explain to the rest of the group why one or both of them passed out due to lack of oxygen," Blaine deadpanned, before smirking. "But they are very cute."

Nick and Jeff finally broke apart, staring at each other for a moment before Nick leant against Jeff's chest, staring out to sea. Jeff looked up and Kurt and Blaine attempted to look away nonchalantly, but both knew they had been caught out. A second later, Kurt glanced back over to see Jeff shaking his head, but smiling. "Spotted," he murmured to Blaine, before giving Jeff a thumbs-up. Jeff blushed, but grinned nonetheless.

"We weren't exactly subtle." Blaine laughed, before poking Kurt in the side lightly. "Alright, up, you. Time to round everyone up."

Kurt sighed dramatically but got to his feet. Blaine stuck his fingers in his mouth, letting out a piercing whistle. "Back to the boat, everyone!" The Warblers groaned, but obediently headed towards the dock, Cameron booting the soccer ball at Blaine's head before following the group. Blaine caught the ball, tucking it under one arm and taking Kurt's hand. "Shall we?"

As they headed to the boat, Nick and Jeff fell into line with them, both boys smiling. Kurt glanced at them both, shaking his head. "Good day, boys?" he teased lightly.

"Brilliant," Jeff murmured, looking slightly dazed. Blaine laughed, glancing over at them as well. "I get why you were so cheerful yesterday, Blaine."

Kurt turned to his boyfriend, eyebrow raised. "Cheerful, Blaine?"

"You know I was," Blaine murmured quietly, causing Kurt to blush. Now it was Jeff's turn to laugh, elbowing Kurt lightly. The four boys made their way on to the boat, Blaine breaking away to inform the staff that they were all there. Jeff was immediately accosted by Cameron and pulled away to referee some competition between him and Thad, leaving Nick and Kurt alone. Kurt gestured to some seats and both boys sat down.

"So, how are you doing?"

Nick shook his head, still smiling. "Like Jeff said, pretty darn brilliant. And not just because I finally kissed him, but because I know that it doesn't matter how my parents are going to react - I am who I am. I'm gay, I have a boyfriend who I love and quite _like _kissing, and they can't change that about me."

Kurt reached out to take Nick's hand, squeezing it lightly. "I knew you'd get there."

"Just took my time about it," Nick commented lightly, but Kurt could hear the tension behind his voice.

"Hey, we've been through this and I know you and Jeff have as well. Him waiting for you didn't affect your relationship at all. He's still _crazy _about you, Nick. I think he proved that point rather sufficiently today."

Nick ducked his head, blushing. "Yeah, you're right. I just need to get used to it, is all."

Kurt squeezed his hand again before someone cleared their throat loudly. "Do I need to be concerned?"

Kurt laughed, smirking up at his boyfriend. "Oh, absolutely. Nick and I are considering having a romantic love affair behind yours and Jeff's backs. We're just considering how to get off this boat without anybody noticing."

"I did tell you of an easy way to make that happen on the first day, _babe_." Blaine attempted to frown sternly at Kurt, but couldn't hold a straight face for long. "Anyway, dinner's ready."

"Dinner?"

Kurt's jaw dropped and he stared across the deck at Cameron. "How the hell did you hear that?" he yelled, the other boy simply shrugging and shepherding the other Warblers down to the dining area. Jeff swung by, glancing down at Nick and Kurt's linked hands with a smirk, before offering a hand to his boyfriend, Blaine doing the same. "Come on, we need to get down there before Cameron eats everything."

Dinner was uneventful, as all the meals seemed to have been. Kurt was rather surprised that nobody had started a food fight yet, but figured that they didn't want to waste anything that they could be consuming. After dinner, Nick and Jeff decided to call it a night, and while the rest of the Warblers spread themselves out on the top deck, Kurt considered his options. "Hey, why don't we go back to the room too?"

Blaine glanced around quickly. "Nothing flammable, no icebergs nearby... yeah, I think we can trust them." He smirked at Kurt before turning his attention back to the Warblers. "Goodnight guys! Don't destroy my boat!"

"No promises!" Thad called back, Blaine sticking his tongue out at him before Kurt tugged on his hand, pulling him towards the room. Now that he had seen Nick and Jeff kiss and knew they were probably continuing in their room, Kurt suddenly realized how much time he and Blaine could now spend doing the same thing, and possibly continuing where they left off that morning.

Heading in to the room, Kurt sped through his moisturizing routine and changed before swapping with Blaine. By the time Blaine was done, Kurt was lying on his back on the bed, watching him leave the bathroom. "Come here," he murmured quietly.

Blaine was across the room instantly, sitting on the edge of the bed. Kurt pouted, reaching for Blaine's waist and tugging sharply. Unfortunately, he hadn't quite anticipated how light his boyfriend actually was, and pulled him just a bit too hard, sending Blaine sprawling on top of him. Neither boy was hurt, but suddenly they were very close..

_Maybe it wasn't so unfortunate, _Kurt realized. "Hi," he whispered, staring into Blaine's eyes.

"Mm. Hi," Blaine murmured back before leaning in to kiss him softly. They continued that way for a few minutes, just reveling in the sensation of their lips touching, before Blaine began to take the kiss deeper. Somehow, amidst the feelings of pleasure spiking through him, Kurt managed to draw his mind together for some rational thought.

Kurt remembered the events of their performance for the Crawford girls all too well and how much of a fool he had made of himself. And while he still wasn't up for watching _those _videos, he had started paying a lot more attention to the scenes in his collection of chick flicks that he had usually skipped over. Scenes where the kissing turned a little more heated without getting lewd. Scenes.. _like now. _

So, as Blaine continued to kiss him, Kurt pushed at him lightly until Blaine rolled onto his side, then his back. Now Kurt was the one lying on his chest, and he broke the kiss a moment later, Blaine frowning up at him. "What are you - _oh_."

Kurt began to kiss Blaine's jawbone, trailing up towards his ear before dipping down and along his neck. Blaine's breathing was slightly ragged as Kurt worked his way down his neck, and he gasped as Kurt mouth moved across his collarbone, pressing light kisses along it. After a few more seconds, Kurt stopped, raising his head to stare into Blaine's eyes.

Blaine was still breathless, staring up at Kurt as if he had never seen him before. "Where did you _learn _that?"

"Oh, on the other seventeen or so boyfriends I've had," Kurt said nonchalantly, rolling his eyes. "Movies, Blaine. The _clean _kind," he added as an afterthought.

"Oh." Before he could say anything else, Blaine's lips were attacking his again and Kurt decided that this was much better than talking anyway. Definitely much better, even as Blaine's lips left his, because Kurt _knew _what was coming next and ... _oh._

There were no words. Kurt felt his head fall back into the pillows as Blaine's lips trailed down his neck. He braced his hands on Blaine's shoulders, breathing heavily as the new sensations washed through him. _I've died and gone to heaven. That's the only logical explanation. _

Not sure if he could take any more, Kurt ducked down and captured Blaine's lips in his own. He rolled them onto their sides, facing each other as they kissed. Passionate turned slow and sweet as the two curled closer together, their legs twining. Finally, Kurt broke away and watched as Blaine opened his eyes with difficulty. "Now who's tired?" he teased softly.

Blaine grumbled something in reply, burying his head into the pillow. Kurt chuckled, running his hands through Blaine's hair. "I love you."

"Mm, love you too.." The rest of Blaine's sentence trailed off, and a few moments later his breathing evened out. Kurt stared down at him, shaking his head. _We were making out only a few minutes ago, how can he be asleep already?_

And then Kurt realized he was yawning and his own eyes were feeling heavy. _Huh, fair enough, _he thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep. _I guess it tired us out._

* * *

><p><strong>This last section was written when I was forcing myself to work on this instead of an upcoming story that I'm crazy about. Hopefully it isn't too forced - and I'm not saying I don't enjoy working on this fic at all. But the idea for this one is only new, and therefore so is my enthusiasm. And I've got so many ideas written down for it... pages of ideas for that matter.<strong>

**Enough rambling about other fics. Next chapter brings us a break to all of the fluff and gives a huge shot of angst. Don't worry, no breakups though.**


	5. Day Five

**For _Call me Mad_ who asked which one Nick is, he's the one who's there inSpecial Education after Kurt auditioned for his solo and is talking to him and Jeff asking how many times they auditioned. And on that note... "Feelin' so fly like a three-six!" ;)**

**For _Klaineforthewin _who thinks Brad should get the last line of the last episode of the last season of Glee, I am in full agreement. Also, can anybody confirm rumours that his character is gay? Can't remember where I heard it, but I know I did!**

**And most of you got the reference, which was the sunglasses line which came from the Klaine skit... except about the blazer. Which was absolutely perfect in Dublin where Kurt was all breathless and Blaine got down to his level - "We've been over this. You _love _the blazer." I mean, I nearly died. Just saying. If that particular version of the skit isn't in the movie, I'll be ridiculously disappointed. But of course I'll flail over the movie, no matter how it ends up =D**

**This time it's a little different because I skipped their waking up routine. Just because we sort of know what happens there by now ;) also because enough happens in this chapter to justify it. On that note, a****ngst warning! Rampant homophobia in this chapter. And as a disclaimer of sorts, I do NOT believe any of the words I say against these boys. I think it's all horrendous.**

* * *

><p>"So we have a few hours here to explore and do whatever." Blaine stood in front of the eager group, barring their exit. "Just behave, okay? My family is pretty well known and my parents won't be happy if they come back and find they're shunned from their favourite holiday spot.<p>

The group murmured assents but Blaine could tell they didn't really care as long as they got to go exploring. With a sigh, he stepped aside and the majority of the boys raced off the ship. Kurt stepped up to Blaine and kissed him quickly, still bringing a smile to both of their faces because, _hey, we can do this whenever we want now._

"Jeff and Nick are going to tag along with us, okay?"

Blaine turned to the other couple and grinned. "Of course. Shall we?" He gave an overdramatic flourish and Kurt chuckled, taking his hand and following him off the ship.

The island was small and quiet - it was only really known by those who frequently travelled like Blaine's family. The two couples wandered down the beach hand-in-hand and Blaine honestly couldn't remember the last time he had felt so relaxed. He had come to this island more times than he could count, but it was a whole new place with his friends - and boyfriend - in tow.

"Blaine!"

Wes and David were beckoning to him from a small hut where the rest of the Warblers were sitting. "Have you seen this place?"

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Oh gee, Wes. I don't know." He turned to the counter and smiled at the girl. "Hi Rosie."

"Good to see you again, Blaine. The usual?"

"Absolutely. Make it four." He turned his attention to the other three boys as Rosie began to mix the drinks. "You're going to love it, I promise."

Rosie handed over the drinks and Blaine passed them out, watching all of the boys take a sip. Nick and Jeff both made murmurs of appreciation and moved away to find a seat, but Kurt was sniffing his drink like it was toxic.

"Blaine, does this have alcohol in it?"

"Only a little." Blaine attempted to reassure him. "It's legal here, you're not going to get at all drunk, and Rosie's only going to serve any of us one drink."

Wes looked disgruntled at this but finished off his drink along with the rest of the boys. Kurt had finally given in and drunk it, and Blaine noticed he was acting slightly looser than usual, which wasn't a bad thing at all.

"Come with me, everyone." Blaine led the group across the beach to the rocks. "There's pools in here that usually have some pretty interesting stuff."

The boys scattered across the rocks, calling out about their findings to one another. Blaine smiled affectionately at all of them before Kurt all but dragged him over to begin their own exploration. Nick and Jeff joined them and they spent a good half hour just enjoying each other's company.

It was when Kurt had wrapped his arm around Blaine's waist when the voice was heard - "Mommy, why are those boys hugging?"

"Because they're disgusting. Don't look at them dear."

Blaine stiffened and looked up to see a family of three a few feet from them. The young boy - no more than 6 or 7 - was watching them curiously. But both of the parents were staring with unhidden disgust at the two couples.

Kurt's hand was on his arm soothingly, but the younger boy looked ready to kill. Blaine spared a glance for Nick and Jeff who were both looking unsure of what to do, before turning his attention back to the family, his heart thudding loud in his ears.

"Come on, let's go. We don't need these fags ruining our day." The man turned his son in the other direction but continued to glare at the boys. "Honestly, there are children here. You think you could try to set a better example -"

"Excuse me?"

Blaine heard David coming up behind him and knew the rest of the boys were following. He wanted to turn, to tell David to stay out of it, but he was frozen.

"I wasn't talking to you."

"No, but you were talking to our friends." Trent stepped forward and leveled the man with a glare of his own. "You talk about them setting a bad example, what kind of example are you setting for your own son when you attack two people you don't even know based on something that doesn't affect you?"

The man blustered for a second. "It does affect me, I have to watch -"

"No, you don't." Thad's hand was resting on Blaine's shoulder. He wasn't sure how long it had been there but he was aware of it now as he slowly pulled himself back together, pulling the mask on. "You can easily walk away, right now."

"In fact, why don't you?" Wes folded his arms, Jessica glaring next to him, and waited until the family hurried away before turning to the boys. "Are you all alright?"

Nick and Jeff both murmured their assent, but Blaine saw the way Nick's knuckles had turned white in Jeff's hand.

"I'm okay," Kurt said from beside him, rubbing circles into Blaine's arm soothingly. He made a conscious effort to smile at the boys and show that he was okay too.

"You didn't need to do that," he said to the immediate argument of the group. Blaine waited for the noise to die down before continuing. "Thank you, though. And I think maybe it's best that we just go to the ship for the rest of the afternoon."

Nobody argued and they turned back, making their way back to the dock. Jeff slipped closer to Kurt's side and he saw Kurt whisper in his ear.

"Blaine, we need to stop for a bit." Kurt murmured to him. He turned questioningly to see his boyfriend gesturing to Nick who looked fit to kill. Blaine nodded, understanding immediately.

Slipping his hand out of Kurt's, Blaine stepped in beside Wes. "Nick needs a few minutes. We're going to stay here with him, you guys go on board." Wes frowned, but thankfully didn't argue. The group went ahead and Blaine moved back to where the other three boys had stopped.

"Nick, it's okay. Just let it out." Kurt was coaxing the boy gently as Jeff squeezed his hand. Nick's face stayed impassive for a few long moments.

"It's not fair," he whispered.

And then he broke free of Jeff's grasp and bolted across the sand. Blaine followed immediately, hearing the others do the same. But by the time he had reached Nick, the other boy had reached a tree and begun to punch it.

"Nick!" As soon as he heard Jeff's voice, Nick stopped, staring down at his hands before turning and throwing them around Jeff's neck, burying his head in his shoulder.

"It's just not fair!" he sobbed. Jeff's arms immediately wrapped around his waist, tears streaming down his face as he tried to comfort his distraught boyfriend. Kurt's eyes were glistening with unshed tears and Blaine bit his lip, holding the emotions back.

After a few minutes, Nick pulled away and held his shaking hands out to the gasps of Jeff and Kurt. His knuckles were scraped and bleeding, a couple bruised bright blue and swelling fast. Blaine immediately ran back to the drink shack.

"Rosie, I need ice."

Something must have given away the seriousness of the situation because the girl didn't ask any questions, simply filling a cup of ice and giving it to him. Arriving back, Kurt gave Blaine a quick glance then took off his shirt to wrap the ice in. Nick winced at the cold but kept his hands wrapped in it nonetheless. Kurt and Blaine stepped away a little, leaving the two to talk quietly as they made their way back to the ship.

Kurt's hand was clasped tightly in Blaine's the whole way, but not a word was spoken. Blaine knew the time would come for words, but right now all they needed was their silent assertion that they were still each others and none of the prejudice or hatred in the world could take that from them.

Kurt knew Blaine wasn't alright.

His boyfriend had put on an act ever since they had been back on board - joking around with Wes and David, singing along to the ridiculous songs Cameron liked to pull out - but Kurt could see through it, in the way that Blaine's eyes didn't quite meet the person he was talking to, how his smile was strained at the edges.

But of course, Blaine was too proud to let those emotions show in front of the group. So it was up to Kurt.

"You alright, babe?" Blaine asked, looking over after Kurt had yawned for the fifth time.

Kurt nodded, then hesitated a little. He knew that was all it would take for Blaine and, sure enough - "You look exhausted. Come on, I'm going to get you to bed."

They said their goodbyes to the rest of the group, and Kurt noticed Nick and Jeff curled up in one of the chairs slightly away from the group. Jeff was loosely holding Nick's bruised hands in his. "You know where we are," he murmured as he passed.

As soon as they got into the room, Kurt kicked his shoes off, sat on his bed and held his arms out to Blaine. "Come here."

Blaine stopped for a second and Kurt knew he had realized he was caught out. Sighing slightly, he made his way over and settled himself in Kurt's lap, burying his head in Kurt's shoulder. A few seconds passed and then a sniff, and Kurt felt the tears begin to fall on his shoulder.

"Oh, baby," he whispered, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and rubbing circles into his back. "I know. It's okay, let it out."

Blaine began to sob quietly and Kurt just held him, letting his own tears begin to fall at the sheer unfairness of it all. Some idiots who didn't even know them could, with a couple of words and glares, reduce Blaine to a crying wreck. Blaine, his Blaine, who had always seemed so strong...

"It's not fair," Blaine murmured into his shoulder, unknowingly echoing Kurt's thought pattern. "They don't know us, Kurt. They don't know you and me or Nick and Jeff. They don't have the right to judge us."

His voice was shaky and Kurt pulled him in tighter, dropping a kiss on the top of his head. "No, they don't. They don't have the right to hurt us like this, and I guarantee if the Warblers find them again, there won't be anything left of them to say anything."

Blaine chuckled a little, lifting his head to look at Kurt. "I'm sorry -"

Kurt kissed him, effectively shutting him up. "No apologies," he murmured. "You're my boyfriend, Blaine, I want you to be comfortable letting your emotions show. You're _allowed _to be upset."

Blaine leant in to kiss him again quickly. As he broke away, Kurt reached over and gently wiped the tears off his face, even as more began to build in Blaine's eyes.

A quiet knock came at the door and Kurt gently urged Blaine off his lap so he could answer. He was pretty sure he knew who it would be - sure enough, Nick and Jeff stood in the doorway. Nick was attempting to smile while Jeff was biting his lip. "Do you think we could -"

Kurt was already nodding. "Come in."

The two boys entered and, after a moment of hesitation, Nick sat next to Blaine and wrapped his arm around him gently. Jeff gestured to Kurt and they slipped outside, shutting the door behind them and making their way down the hall a little.

"I've never seen him like that," Jeff confided in a low voice that was beginning to tremble. "He was so angry, Kurt."

Kurt wrapped the other boy in a hug. "I know. But he had every right to be, and he's probably as big a wreck inside right now as Blaine. All we can do is be there for them and for each other. You're not alright either, are you?"

Jeff shook his head, pulling away. "Neither are you," he stated.

"No," Kurt admitted, "but I need to be for Blaine."

Jeff scrutinized him for a second. "I'd argue with you but I know Blaine's going to take care of you, no matter what you say."

Kurt allowed a small smile to cross his face before the two made their way back into the room. Upon entering, Jeff was immediately by Nick's side, wrapping his arms around him. Nick curled into Jeff's arms gratefully, releasing Blaine who stood.

"Come with me," he murmured, leading Kurt over to his bed and flicking the lights off. Blaine laid down and opened his arms to Kurt who slid into them gratefully, his back resting against Blaine's chest. Looking across, he saw Nick and Jeff moving into the same position, Nick carefully wrapping his arms around Jeff's waist.

Kurt turned his head to catch Blaine's eye and found him staring back. Again, no words were needed. Kurt leant in and kissed Blaine softly, letting his lips linger for a second before pulling away. "Goodnight, Blaine."

"Goodnight Kurt." Blaine kissed him again before raising his voice slightly. "Goodnight guys."

"Goodnight," replied Jeff, Nick murmuring in agreement.

Kurt turned his body so he was face-to-face with Blaine and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's neck, burying his head in his shoulder. He felt Blaine lift a hand and begin to stroke his hair softly and he sighed, melting closer into his boyfriend.

Kurt knew that the world was a horrible place out there. He knew it wasn't going to be the last time he and his friends were abused because of who they were. But lying here with Blaine in his arms and his friends nearby, he knew this was what mattered. Nothing else.

* * *

><p><strong>Nick's method of releasing anger is based off an experience I had. One of my friends had just been taken to hospital because of a serious medical issue, the other had flipped out and bolted and I was the only one that saw she'd taken a knife with her and had to chase her and try and get her to stop. She got taken to the counsellor and my boyfriend got me out of the situation and I just couldn't speak or anything until I'd punched a wall and done my hand in. Sometimes it takes a physical shock to get out of that state - not that I encourage it, just to explain why Nick responded the way he did.<strong>


	6. Day Six

**I got the BEST review from _Call me Mad _who probably wasn't expecting this kind of response, but let me explain. Angela and I are _huge _fans of a certain story called _ Klaine, As Told By David and Wes _by _Ultraviolet-Ink. _The review said this: ****_And is it _****_just me, or is Jeff really pretty for a boy? Like, even more so than Kurt. _(Any other fans of that story will most likely know where this is going right about now). ****In KATBDAW, in the second chapter, David and Wes are talking about Kurt and Blaine meeting for the first time and it's the POV of the Warblers waiting for Blaine to hurry up and get there for their performance of _Teenage Dream_. Jeff comes rushing in to tell them that Blaine is skipping around Dalton with a boy and Wes asks who he's with. Jeff's reply: _"I dunno. Not anyone from here, he wasn't in uniform." He paused. "He was quite pretty. You know, for a guy."_**

**You can see our delight. By the way, everybody go and read that story, it's a work of art. **

**So, our boys aren't doing so well after last chapter, are they? Let's hope things pick up for them.**

* * *

><p>"<em>You're a freak of nature!"<em>

_Blaine cowered against the locker, instinctively raising his hands. "Please - please don't hurt me," he choked out, fighting furiously with the tears that were threatening to escape._

"_Why shouldn't I? You're nothing but a worthless fag!" The boy raised a fist, and Blaine knew he couldn't move, couldn't back away, couldn't escape... _

Blaine shot upright, gasping for breath. He clapped a hand over his mouth instantly as he remembered the other occupants of the room, but luckily nobody had woken up. Quietly, he untangled himself from the blankets - Kurt shifted a little, frowning, but didn't wake - and left the room. Outside, Blaine slumped against the wall for a second, trying to get the images out of his head. Of course he knew yesterday's events would have an effect on him, but he had hoped to be spared the bullying flashbacks. It seemed his subconscious had other ideas though. Sighing, Blaine stood and made his way out to the main deck, the cold air biting into his bare torso. The sky was still dark, and he glanced at his watch. 4:42. _Great._

Blaine stepped right up to the front of the boat, gripping onto the railing and looking over the edge into the dark water below. Never, on any of his cruises, had he experienced anything like that - but he had never had a boyfriend before. And yes, he'd dealt with bullying, but he just _knew _things would only be worse from here on in because of Kurt. So, here came the important question: _Is it worth it?_

His automatic answer was yes, but Blaine made himself stop and think. Yes, he loved Kurt, more than he ever thought he could love someone as a seventeen year old boy. And Kurt loved him, that was clear. But were they both strong enough to endure the taunting, the harassment, the bullying? And could Blaine justify letting _Kurt _go through all of that simply because he loved him too much to let him go?

_You're both gay. Either way, you're both going to have boyfriends at some point in time. So why not now? _

Blaine rocked back on the railing before straightening up again. _I love Kurt, _he thought to himself, _and Kurt's worth it. _But Blaine still couldn't shake the feelings of foreboding, the feeling that he might _not_ be strong enough to endure what was sure to come.

Quiet footsteps behind him alerted Blaine to someone else's presence. He didn't bother turning, pretty sure he knew who it was. Sure enough, Kurt stepped up to the railing beside him, staring into the horizon. "I woke up, and you were gone," he stated simply.

Blaine nodded. "I - needed to think," he murmured, before realizing that concealing the truth from Kurt wouldn't help anything. "Had a nightmare."

Kurt turned to him, frowning. "The bullying?"

"Yeah." Blaine hadn't shared a lot of his past with Kurt, but he knew now was the time to start opening up. "Just hearing those words yesterday... I was naive enough to think that being at Dalton meant I had escaped all of that. All the mental crap, the - the physical..."

Kurt's hand was covering his instantly. "Babe, you never told me..."

"I know. I guess I couldn't find the right way to say, 'By the way, the bullies at my old school treated me like a human punching bag,' without sounding ... well, crude." Blaine sighed, trying to ignore the invading memories. Kurt let go of his hand, wrapping it around Blaine's waist instead and pulling him in. Blaine leant against Kurt's shoulder, wrapping an arm around him in return.

"I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry."

Blaine nodded. "I know. It's alright, I know it's just a part of what we have to deal with if we want to be together." He lifted his head, turning to face Kurt fully. "Kurt?" He _hated _the way his voice sounded, but he needed to know.

"Yeah, Blaine?"

"Am I worth it?"

Kurt's face broke and he pulled Blaine against him, wrapping his arms around him tightly as Blaine buried his head into Kurt's shoulder. "Of _course _you're worth it. I love you, Blaine."

Blaine wished he didn't have to keep talking, but he needed to be sure that Kurt knew. "You love me enough to potentially put up with stuff like that every day? To be taunted, hated, to have people tell you that you're a disgusting person for even _thinking _of dating me?"

"Blaine, look at me." Blaine looked up to see Kurt staring at him angrily, and his heart dropped. "You think I haven't heard all of that _all of my life _anyway? And now I have the chance to actually be with someone, to have a - a _justification_ for the taunting, and you think I should give it up because people are going to tease me some more?" Kurt's voice suddenly grew quiet. "Is this your way of saying you can't handle it?"

Blaine shook his head instantly. "No, Kurt, you're worth it. I just don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you as a result of being with - with me."

His voice cracked, and Kurt seemed to understand completely. "I know the risks, Blaine. But we're people who deserve to be happy, who deserve to be in love too. I want you to be happy, and I want to be happy. And we make each other happy. I find myself imagining things happening to you as a result of us being together, and it scares the _hell _out of me. But I can't let myself go down that road, because then I'd stay single forever. Love is worth it."

Blaine buried his head in Kurt's shoulder again. "You're too good for me," he mumbled.

"We're perfect for each other. I love you, Blaine."

"I love you too." Blaine raised his head, capturing Kurt's lips in a kiss that said more than any of their previous words could ever have. Kurt broke away a few seconds later, covering his mouth as he yawned and Blaine chuckled quietly. "Tired?"

"Just a bit. It is five in the morning, after all."

Blaine took Kurt's hands, pulling him over to the lounge chair Kurt had fallen asleep in a few nights back and settling them into the familiar position. "Sleep, babe."

"Mmkay," Kurt mumbled tiredly, resting his head into Blaine's chest. Blaine reached up and began stroking Kurt's hair idly, feeling his boyfriend succumb to his tiredness only a few minutes later. No matter how many times this happened, he didn't think he would ever tire of watching his boyfriend sleeping, especially when he was curled up in Blaine's lap.

Blaine himself was wide awake, so he continued to stare into the ocean, feeling much more at peace than he had when he first woke up. He now knew that he was willing to fight with everything he had against the people in the world who decided to tell him that his relationship was wrong. It still hurt him to know that people thought that way, but the pain from yesterday was settling into a dull ache instead of the sharpness he had felt earlier. In time, he knew it would fade into the background with the rest of his bullying, and for now he just needed to keep reminding himself that things were going to be okay.

As the horizon slowly lightened, Blaine continued to stare across the water, watching the sun rise. This was another thing he could never tire of, and he realized that tonight was their last night on the boat. _What better way to go out than in style? _he thought to himself, smiling slightly. The sun finally rose, casting patterns of light over the water. After a little while, Blaine could hear the sound of doors opening, then footsteps on the deck. A moment later, Wes was kneeling next to him. "Hey, you haven't been out here all night have you?"

"Only a few hours," Blaine murmured. "I had a nightmare, Kurt followed me."

Wes frowned sympathetically. "How are you all holding up? Did Nick and Jeff bunk with you guys?"

"Yeah, and I'm not sure. Kurt seems to be the strongest out of all of us, and once he wakes up I'll go see how the others are doing."

"I'm awake," Kurt murmured sleepily. He blinked a couple of times before opening his eyes fully, pushing off Blaine's chest. "We'd better go see how they are."

Kurt stood, swaying slightly from tiredness. Blaine quickly jumped up, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Sorry if we woke you, babe." Kurt shook his head blearily and Blaine shot an amused glance at Wes before leading his boyfriend towards their room. Just before they got there, Kurt pushed him against the wall and kissed him quickly.

"I may be the strongest, but you have the most courage," he whispered. Blaine simply shook his head, stealing another kiss before stepping away from the wall to knock lightly on the door.

"Come in," came the quiet response, and Blaine pushed open the door to see Nick and Jeff sitting on the edge of the bed, Jeff gently cupping Nick's injured hands. "We were wondering where you guys got to."

Blaine sat on his bed, pulling Kurt down next to him. "Yeah, I woke up early and Kurt apparently can't sleep without me here anymore." Kurt stuck his tongue out and he grinned before turning serious. "You guys okay?"

Nick sighed. "Not really. But we will be."

Blaine nodded, knowing that was all they could expect. After all, he and Kurt were pretty much the same. "Alright. The others are waking up now so we'd better get ready for the day."

"What's the plans?" Jeff asked quietly.

Blaine shrugged. "I think we'll just stay here. Let everyone decide what they're going to do."

Kurt had stood and was already rummaging through his bag, pulling out some clothes. "And as much as you guys might want to just hide away right now, it's not going to help," he said softly. "Take that from someone who's been there many times."

Jeff stood, pulling Nick up with him. "See you guys soon," he muttered before the two left.

Blaine immediately stood and walked over to where Kurt was, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend. "What's this about?" Kurt asked, twisting in his arms so he could look into his face.

"I've decided to make the most of every chance I can get to just hold you and be with you," Blaine replied honestly.

Kurt sighed softly, leaning in to kiss him gently. "I have no problem with staying here forever, baby, but I hate what brought us to this point. We're out and _proud_, but people can still have this sort of affect on us because of their ignorance."

Blaine frowned. "I know." Kurt pulled out of his grasp, slipping into the bathroom and Blaine sighed. _This time yesterday we were so happy. Now, because of the stupid comments of two people, they've managed to hurt four of us. _But all Blaine could do was stick by his friends and his boyfriend and be himself. No matter how much the words were still ringing in his head, no matter how low his self esteem, he had to be strong. He could get through this, he knew that from experience.

He changed quickly before Kurt re-entered the room, taking his hand. "Ready to go?"

Kurt nodded. "If anybody looks at us with pity though, I can't be held responsible for my actions."

Blaine squeezed his hand lightly, knowing Kurt wasn't joking. If there was one thing his boyfriend couldn't stand, it was people looking at him like he was inferior or weak. But hopefully with the small group on board, they would have enough sense to treat them like normal.

Nick and Jeff met them in the hallway and Blaine stopped them. "Nick, your hands?" Nick sighed, holding them out in front of them. Blaine took them, bending each finger carefully and checking Nick's reactions. "Okay, I think you'll be alright. Jeff, just do everything for him today, alright?"

"I have no problem with being my boyfriend's slave." Jeff smirked at Nick who shook his head, smiling slightly. Blaine felt some of the tension leave his body at seeing the two boys slightly more cheerful - after all, he and Kurt had both dealt with this crap before. It was those two that he had really been worried about. And of course he knew they weren't okay yet, but they would be.

As they all walked in for breakfast, the rest of the Warbler group greeted them in their usual fashion. While they may have been slightly more welcoming than usual, Blaine was thankful to see that nobody was asking them questions or giving them strange looks. Everything was normal, and they were safe here.

Which is why it was a surprise when Jeff burst into tears and ran out of the room halfway through breakfast.

Nick was following him immediately, and Kurt gave Blaine a pain-filled glance before standing and walking out. Blaine deliberated for a second before standing and facing the rest of the room. "Okay, no point pretending anymore. Yesterday happened, and as you can see, we're still struggling with it. I'm sorry I don't have anything planned for today, I'm sorry if this ruins the cruise, I - I'm just sorry."

Blaine turned and left, ignoring Wes and David calling his name. He quickly headed down to his and Kurt's room first, finding it empty. Hoping for the best, he knocked quietly on Nick and Jeff's door. "Blaine?" came Kurt's voice.

"Yeah. Can I come in?"

The door opened and Kurt took his hand, pulling him gently into the room. Jeff was curled into a ball on one of the beds with Nick sitting beside him. Blaine sat on the other side and pulled Kurt into his lap. "Want to talk about it?" he offered hesitantly.

Jeff sighed, his breath catching slightly. "I don't know. I just felt like I was going to explode. I don't know how to _deal _with these kinds of feelings."

"It takes awhile," Kurt said quietly. "Unfortunately it takes practice and I wish it _could _just roll off your back from the start, but it will get easier. I also wish you didn't have to experience it ever again, but I won't lie. You will."

Nick nodded, stroking Jeff's hair. "We know."

Jeff pulled himself up into a sitting position, wiping his eyes and leaning against Nick's shoulder. Blaine took his hand and squeezed it lightly. "And we're here for you guys."

Nothing else needed to be said. The four boys sat in silence for a few minutes before a knock came on the door. Kurt rose and walked over to answer it, talking to whoever was there for a moment before turning back. "Are you guys ready to come out? The others want to say something to us."

Blaine shrugged, turning to the others. Jeff nodded and stood, Nick stopping him before he could leave the room and pulling him into a hug. Blaine followed Kurt out of the room to give them a moment of privacy. "What's this about?"

"Not sure," Kurt said. "Wes just came by and said they wanted us on the top deck if we were ready." Nick and Jeff exited the room at that point and the four boys made their way to the top deck. Blaine couldn't be sure, but since there were four Warblers and a Songbird - Jessica performed lead in the Crawford girls show choir - he had a bit of an idea of what might be waiting for them.

Sure enough, the group was standing on the deck with Wes and Jessica out the front. "Guys, we can't change what happened yesterday," said Wes, stepping forward, "no matter how much we want to. We can't change what will happen in the future. All we can do is try to give you some hope, and some important truths." And for the first time Blaine could ever remember, Wes began to sing with no accompaniment, no backing vocals. He had heard his friend sing before, but never quite like this.

"_When you feel all alone,_

_And the world has turned its back on you,_

_Give me a moment please,_

_To tame your wild, wild heart,"_

Kurt was already smiling, leaning against Blaine's shoulder. Blaine leant over to kiss his temple quickly as Jessica stepped up beside her boyfriend, twining their hands together.

"_I know you feel,_

_Like the walls are closing in on you,_

_It's hard to find relief,_

_And people can be so cold,"_

_Understatement of the century_, Blaine thought to himself. But he knew what his friends were doing and, judging by the look on Jeff and Nick's faces, it was working. And it was true - all they really needed right now was to know that they were loved.

"_When darkness is upon your door,_

_And you feel like you can't take anymore,"_

Wes and Jessica's voices melded together perfectly and Blaine saw them share a smile before they split, stepping apart as the other three boys stepped forward.

"_Let me be the one you call,_

_If you jump, I'll break your fall,_

_Lift you up and fly away with you into the night,_

_If you need to fall apart,_

_I can mend a broken heart,_

_If you need to crash then crash and burn, you're not alone."_

Blaine felt Kurt shiver at the power of the five combined voices and realized Kurt had never heard them do a performance in this way before. He was used to the entire group doing their harmonies instead of all five singing together. And Blaine had to admit that it was powerful, especially combined with the words they were singing.

Nick and Jeff were both smiling and Blaine could see them itching to join in. To be honest, he wanted to join them as well, but Wes and Jessica were singing again and he held back.

"_When you feel all alone_

_And a loyal friend is hard to find,_

_You're caught in a one way street_

_With the monsters in your head,_

_When hopes and dreams are far away and_

_You feel like you can't face the day,"_

Blaine glanced at the other three and nodded. In unison they all untangled themselves from their significant other and stepped forward, joining in the chorus.

"_Let me be the one you call,_

_If you jump, I'll break your fall,_

_Lift you up and fly away with you into the night,"_

_If you need to fall apart,_

_I can mend a broken heart,_

_If you need to crash then crash and burn, you're not alone."_

There was a moment of silence, then Thad piped up. "Blaine, you are what we call a solo hog. That performance was _for _you, in case you didn't realize."

That was all it took to break any of the remaining tension. Jeff was hugging Wes as Nick pretended to be jealous; Kurt had been swept up by Thad and David - somehow his boyfriend had managed to completely charm the Council in a way nobody else could. Blaine just stood back, watching it all and smiling.

_The world sucks, _he decided_, but when you've got friends like these idiots, it really doesn't matter._

* * *

><p>After the performance from the rest of the group, the plan for the day had been simple. "Just relax," Blaine ordered, "because you're not getting back on here until next Summer at the earliest." Naturally his proclamation was met with loud groans, but nobody seemed to have a problem with just chilling out.<p>

Kurt spent most of his day, to his surprise, with Jessica. It had started with fashion and... well, hadn't ended for quite some time. Shopping plans were made for once they were off the boat, and Kurt knew he had made at least a new ally in fashion, if not a new friend. Blaine, Wes and David were making the most of their time to just hang out and Kurt couldn't help but smile as he watched his boyfriend goof around with his two best friends, and the rest of the Warblers when they joined in.

Finally, the sun began to set and everybody made their way down for dinner as per usual. Kurt found himself wondering whether it wasn't a bit of an anti-climatic way to spend their last day on the boat before shooting a glance at Blaine and realizing that his boyfriend clearly had something planned, which was mostly given away the second Blaine jumped up on his chair and called for quiet. "Everybody go to your rooms, grab a pillow and blanket and meet me back on the main deck."

By now, everybody was used to Blaine's random announcements, so they all filed out obediently. Kurt waited until everybody was gone before pulling Blaine back down and kissing him. Blaine hummed happily into his lips, deepening the kiss a little before pulling away. "Not that I mind at_ all_, but what was that for? You know, so I can do it more often?"

Kurt laughed as he stood. "Just for being you."

"Wait, I'm me all the time. Shouldn't our lips be, like, permanently attached?" Blaine followed him out of the room, their hands linked lightly. Kurt simply shook his head and tugged Blaine's hand so they were walking side-by-side. "Tell you what, I'll go grab our blankets and stuff. You go and reserve that chair that you're so fond of falling asleep on."

Kurt stuck out his tongue but released his hand and walked over to the chair, sitting on the edge of it. He had a pretty good idea of what Blaine had planned, and was actually pretty excited, not that he'd admit to anybody but Blaine. Kurt hadn't slept outside in years, and the idea of being curled up with his boyfriend on a boat, looking up at the night sky... it was almost too romantic to handle.

No matter how far they had come in their relationship, Kurt knew romance would always come first for him. But he also knew that having a physical relationship didn't mean the romance was gone. And with Blaine, it added to the romance. To be able to kiss him whenever he wanted but to know how _much _every single kiss meant, what they were saying without words every time, it was romantic. It was everything Kurt had ever wanted.

Wes and Jessica arrived back on the deck first, setting themselves up on one of the chairs across from Kurt. Jessica gave him a small but genuine smile which Kurt returned. In his opinion, the girl had definitely redeemed herself for her previous attitude. Besides, the girl had good fashion sense and Kurt could definitely see her as a potential shopping partner. Nick and Jeff also chose the chair option, sitting down next to Kurt.

Thad was the first to set up on the ground, loudly proclaiming that chairs were 'for the weak.' Cameron and David followed suit, and their blankets were sprawled in the middle of the pseudo-circle that had been created by the chairs. "Face it guys," David announced. "We're just tougher than you."

"Excuse me for wanting to cuddle with my boyfriend," Blaine said as he reappeared with not only their blankets but a strange device that looked like a grill(1). "Face it, you're all just alone." He handed the blankets to a smirking Kurt before setting up the object in the middle of the group, shoving David sideways to do so. "Just let me get the marshmallows. Kurt, don't let any of them touch that, especially Cameron."

Of course the second Kurt left, Cameron was poking the object. "What is it?"

"Clearly we're simulating a campfire. Cameron, don't touch that." Kurt leant over and hit the boy in the back of the head. "You heard Blaine."

Cameron pouted but stopped poking it just as Blaine reappeared with bags of marshmallows and skewers. "I think you've all figured out what happens now." He put the bags down and sat on the edge of the chair, Kurt sliding next to him. "Every time I go on a cruise with my parents, I spend the last night sleeping out here. I'd do it every night but you really don't sleep all that much. And, anyway, I just thought it would be a nice way to finish things off, especially since I managed to hide some of the marshmallows from Thad."

Apart from Thad's indignant glare, everybody looked happy with the turn of events. As the others began to tear into the marshmallows, David turning on the grill, Kurt slipped his arms around Blaine's waist, leaning his head on his shoulder. Blaine pulled him closer, wrapping an arm around him in turn. "I love it when you're cuddly," he murmured quietly.

Kurt turned his head, looking up into Blaine's eyes. "I just love you. Oh, and can you cook a marshmallow for me?"

"The ulterior motive comes out!" Blaine shook his head, laughing. "Only you." But he obediently grabbed a couple of skewers, stacking them up with marshmallows. Kurt glanced around the group as Blaine cooked his food, watching Wes try and smear marshmallow on a laughing Jessica, Thad and Cameron having their usual stuff-your-face competition... Kurt couldn't stop himself from smiling as he watched them all. No matter how much he missed his New Directions family, this group had a special place in his heart.

Blaine handed over the marshmallows and Kurt wrinkled his nose. "This is so bad for my skin," he said, ignoring Blaine's incredulous look. "And I'm only doing it because you wouldn't stop bugging me if I didn't."

Blaine simply raised an eyebrow and waited. It only took the first bite for Kurt to realize why. "This should not work. It shouldn't taste _better _melted." Blaine was grinning far too happily for Kurt's liking so Kurt simply huffed and moved further away from his boyfriend.

A minute later, Blaine was wrapped around him again. "You're not really mad at me. I know you better than that."

"You're such a leech," Kurt said, glaring lightly at his boyfriend. But he could feel his resolve cracking as Blaine continued to pout. "Okay, fine, I still love you."

Blaine simply smiled happily and started eating his marshmallows. Kurt felt the lack of response niggle at him for a second before pushing it away - so what if Blaine didn't say it all the time?

But as the night went on, Kurt's mind kept going back to those three words. _Do I say it too much? _he wondered, thinking about all the times he had told Blaine he loved him offhandedly. _Is it losing meaning? _And after all, he was the one who had slipped it out accidentally as he was falling asleep, maybe he had given Blaine the impression that the words didn't mean as much to him as they clearly did to Blaine.

Glancing around the circle, Kurt saw Nick and Jeff were already fast asleep, curled up in the chair together. He spent a moment watching them and trying not to squeal at how cute they were before checking the others. Wes and Jessica had relocated to the floor and were lying on their backs, staring up at the sky. David and Thad were both snoring lightly on the ground and Cameron had stolen the free chair, sprawled across it half asleep.

"So, are you coming to join me or not?"

Kurt turned to see that Blaine had moved while he was distracted, leaning back in the chair with his hands resting behind his head. Kurt immediately moved back beside him, lying on his side with his head on Blaine's chest. Their arms wrapped around each other instinctively and Kurt nuzzled in tighter, taking in the feeling of his boyfriend. He knew this was the last night they would be able to sleep together considering he was back to Lima the next day.

Blaine nudged at him lightly, getting his attention. "I want you to know that even though I don't say it a lot, I really do love you."

Kurt blinked a couple of times, then felt himself blush. "You - noticed?"

"I did." Blaine pressed their foreheads together, staring down at him seriously. "And I'm sorry. But apart from my family, you're the first person I've told that I love them."

"Seriously?" Kurt frowned. "None of your friends?"

Blaine shook his head. "Wes and David know I love them but it's always been unspoken for fear of making things awkward. And I've never had any close girl friends who I could say it to like I've seen you and Mercedes do. So.. I guess it's a big deal when I say it, and I'm still working on making it natural. But I mean it."

Kurt angled his head to kiss him, letting the touch linger before pulling away. "Show me in other ways until then," he said simply, watching the smile cross Blaine's face before attaching their lips again. _They always did say that actions speak louder than words..._

And for a long time they stayed that way, kissing softly and languidly, their legs twined together. Kurt knew they could take things further, become more passionate if they wanted to, but he also knew that slow and sweet and gentle was just what they both wanted right now. There was plenty of time for everything else later, after all - right now he just wanted to make the most of having Blaine with him.

Kurt didn't know what was coming in the future. He didn't know whether he and Blaine would break up next week or last well into old age together, or anything in between. But all he knew and cared about right now was that Blaine was here, and Blaine was his. No matter what happened down the track, Blaine would always be his first love.

* * *

><p><strong>(1) My dad has one of these for 4WDing trips. We haven't toasted marshmallows over them though...<strong>

**First loves are... well, put it this way, no matter how much my first love broke my heart, I still smile when I think of him. My second love, however... (this is the part where Angela would raise her machete threateningly)**


	7. Day Seven

**For everybody who has come along for the ride, you are witnessing the completion of my first ever chapter story! But it's definitely not the last - the story that will be 'replacing' this one in my updating schedule (or lack thereof) is called **_**Straight Camp **_**and focuses on Nick/Jeff with a healthy dose of Klaine. It's a good deal of angst, and very much unlike what I've ever written before, so I'd love for you to all come and check that out when it's up and let me know your thoughts.**

**If you've never thought about the pairing, I urge you to give it a try. Not necessarily in my story because it takes awhile, but for a really good Nick/Jeff oneshot check out **_**Every Rose Has Its Thorn **_**by **_**SquirrelzAttack. **_**And if you like the pairing (which I think you will!), come back and check out **_**Straight Camp **_**when it starts uploading :) **

**Speaking of **_**SquirrelzAttack**_**, a huge thanks to her for betaing this entire story for me :) I don't know where I'd be without her. (**_**Angela: wandering through life utterly confused, banging off walls) **_**This is true. Very true, I can assure you.**

**So, without further crazy author ramblings and interruptions from equally crazy betas, I give you the final chapter of **_**Sail**_**!**

* * *

><p>"Kurt?"<p>

"Mngh..."

There was a chuckle and the arms wrapped around his waist tightened. "I know, you're tired. But I want to show you something." Kurt shook his head and stayed where he was, his eyes shut. "Please?"

"You're not fair," Kurt whined, forcing his eyes open and blinking rapidly until his boyfriend came in to focus. "You can't use that voice on me..."

Blaine smirked fondly at him - and how he managed to do that, Kurt had _no _idea. "I can and did. You don't have to get up, but I thought you'd like to see what I think is the best part of the entire cruise."

Kurt reluctantly sat up, running his hands through his hair. He knew it was probably sticking up in all directions and turned to warn Blaine against making a comment, only to have his words die when he saw his boyfriend staring at him. "What?"

"When did you get so gorgeous?"

Kurt felt himself blush but refused to back down. Instead he leant in and kissed Blaine, reaching up to cup his face gently. "You're amazing," he murmured breathlessly as he pulled away. "I love you."

Blaine's smile was brilliant. "I love you too." He leant in to capture Kurt's lips again before pulling away very reluctantly. "As wonderful as this is, and as much as I could probably do that forever, there really was something I wanted to show you. Just give me a minute to see if anybody else is in."

As Blaine stood and walked over to Nick and Jeff, Kurt glanced out across the water. It was still mostly dark but the first tinges of light were beginning to hit the sky. _Why would Blaine wake everyone up before the sun's even risen... oh. _

Kurt shook his head as he watched his boyfriend murmuring quietly to Jeff. _For someone who 'doesn't know romance', he's such a hopeless romantic, _he thought to himself. And it was true - when Blaine wasn't trying to be romantic, he did it perfectly.

Nick and Jeff were getting up slowly, Nick grumbling under his breath about 'pushy soloists who think they can get everything.' Thad simply batted Blaine away and went back to sleep and Kurt knew as well as Blaine that there was no point in trying to wake Cameron. As Blaine knelt next to David, Kurt stood and stretched before making his way over to Jessica. "Hey," he whispered, shaking her shoulder gently. "Sunrise?"

"Mm, okay." The blonde girl opened her eyes slowly, sitting up and turning to look down at her boyfriend. Wes was still fast asleep, one hand sprawled across his eyes and the other linked with Jessica's. "I'll wake him up."

Kurt quickly turned away, knowing by the look on her face how she was planning to wake the other boy, and crossed the deck to where Blaine was standing by the railing. Wrapping his arms around his boyfriend from behind, Kurt rested his head on Blaine's shoulder and kissed him on the cheek lightly. "Can't believe this is our last day," he murmured quietly.

"I know." Kurt could see Blaine frown. "And then you're going back to Lima and I won't get to see you every day -"

"Hey, let's not even think about that until we have to." Kurt pulled Blaine closer to him, vaguely aware of Nick and Jeff moving to stand beside them. "We'll make it work."

Blaine turned to kiss him quickly, pulling away to stare at him for a moment. "We will," he agreed, and Kurt knew Blaine was making a promise. Not just for summer, but for something far bigger that they knew was coming.

Two weeks before the cruise, Kurt had gotten a visit from his family and Mercedes. Blaine hadn't been invited to join the conversation, but Kurt had filled him in afterwards of course. There were two main points brought up - first, that Dalton was expensive, and second, that Karofsky had graduated. And as soon as Kurt heard that, he knew. He was going back to McKinley.

To Blaine's credit, he took it well, claiming he had seen it coming. And, even though Mercedes had pulled him aside and warned him about the possibility earlier, Blaine hadn't even considered breaking up with him. "It's only an hour and a half. And I'll still have you after school and on weekends," he had said when Kurt finally asked whether he wanted to stay with him.

But of course it was a different matter thinking about it now. Of course Kurt wasn't going to break up with Blaine, but talking about being separated when they still had a few weeks and a cruise to look forward to was a lot easier than thinking about it on the last day of said cruise. But Kurt refused to let himself get down about it. No matter what, he and Blaine would fight to make their relationship work.

The other two couples had joined them by now, and David was making his way over. "I feel like such a ..." he counted quickly, "a seventh wheel."

"You could have invited Melanie," said Kurt, leaning over to look at him. He knew Blaine and Wes would both be pulling faces and resisted the urge to do so himself - neither of them thought a great deal of David's girlfriend and nobody was too upset when he said she wasn't coming.

David shrugged. "To be honest, after spending a week with you guys, I'm probably going to break up with her."

Kurt heard Blaine whisper a cheer under his breath and nudged him lightly. "Behave," he whispered.

"Why's that?" Wes asked, barely suppressing a grin.

"I've watched all of you guys with your relationships that actually _work_... and I've figured out I can do better."

This time Blaine did cheer out loud, Kurt shaking his head even as he smiled. "Because we haven't been telling you that forever, or anything."

"Hold up." Nick looked at David, mock-confused. "Two of the three couples you've been watching are gay... is there something you're not telling us?"

The laughter that followed was quickly cut short as a pillow hit Nick in the back of the head. "Will you all _shut up!_" came Cameron's irritated voice. "Just because you appreciate beauty doesn't mean you get to be noisy about it. I appreciate _sleep_."

Nick tossed the pillow back, but the group obediently shut up and turned back to face the water. Kurt rested his head back on Blaine's shoulder, watching the sun slowly make its way above the horizon, sending splashes of colour across the practically motionless water. Even though Kurt knew they were currently making their way back to land, it felt like time had stopped in this moment. It might happen every single day, but there was still something magical about the sun rising, especially when he was with Blaine.

But, of course, every moment has to end. Finally the sun was fully above the water and the sky turning a light blue. David had muttered something about breakfast and disappeared some time ago, Thad having woken and joined him. Cameron was still passed out on the deck and Kurt stifled a laugh as Nick kicked him 'accidentally' as he and Jeff made their way down for breakfast.

Blaine twisted in his arms, wrapping his own around Kurt's neck. Wes and Jessica were still a couple of metres away, but they knew they wouldn't receive any judgement from the two. "I'd always dreamed of sharing that with someone some day. I kind of didn't expect I'd have all of my a cappella club friends along as well... but I'm glad you're here."

"Me too."

They didn't need words. And a part of Kurt realized they never had. They just understood each other, more than Kurt had ever understood anybody else. His fears immediately tried to rise to the surface as they always did - _you're too young, you won't last! _- but he ignored them. All anybody could ever be sure of was right now, and right now Kurt Hummel was quite sure that he loved Blaine Anderson more than words could ever say.

"I love you," Blaine whispered, and Kurt felt a shiver run up his spine, "but I'd love you more if you got some breakfast into me."

Kurt snorted. "How do you manage to ruin the moment and still stay utterly charming?" he asked, unwrapping himself from Blaine.

Blaine grabbed his arm, linking them together. "I'm just that amazing."

"Modest too." Kurt shook his head. "I despair over you, Blaine Anderson." But he was grinning as they made their way to breakfast, wondering whether he'd be lucky enough to experience moments like this for the rest of his life. He sure hoped so.

Wes and Jessica followed them down a few minutes later, but Cameron didn't show until the end of breakfast. "You're not kidding about not getting enough sleep," he announced as he walked into the room, rubbing his eyes.

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "Cameron, you beat _Jeff _to sleep. You have no complaining rights. No offense," he added to Jeff, who shrugged. It was common knowledge that the boy struggled with staying up late after all.

"I think Jeff was probably otherwise _occupied_, if you get my drift." Cameron sat down, pulling a plate full of food towards himself. Kurt rolled his eyes, shooting an exasperated look at Jeff who looked equally as annoyed. Yes, the boy didn't mean any harm, but he had been shooting off innuendos all week and it was starting to get on their nerves. Then Jeff's face suddenly brightened and he leant over, whispering something in Blaine's ear. Kurt frowned, wondering what exactly they were scheming. As soon as Blaine was informed - and clearly pleased about whatever it was - Jeff continued to eat his breakfast, ignoring Nick's attempts to find out what was going on.

"Going to tell me?" Kurt asked, pouting slightly for effect. Blaine simply shook his head.

"You'll find out later." With that ambiguous remark, Blaine jumped up on his seat. "What are we wanting to do today?"

"Sleep!" Cameron called out before being hit over the head by Wes. "Well, it's true!"

David rolled his eyes. "For you, maybe. We've got like, five hours left on this boat, right?" Blaine nodded. "Is there anything we haven't seen or done yet?"

"Well, you haven't destroyed the boat and I'm eternally grateful for that." Blaine placed a hand on his heart and pretended to wipe sweat from his forehead. Kurt rolled his eyes. _Why did I get the dramatic one? _"Just remember to pack up your stuff before we get back, and do whatever you like for the rest of the day."

It suddenly seemed to occur to everybody that they would have to pack up the tornado wrecks that Kurt knew their rooms had become, and within a few minutes the room was empty again, save Kurt and Blaine. "Well, considering our room is practically immaculate, what would my wonderful boyfriend like to do with his day?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow before squealing as Blaine pulled him into his lap quickly. "Warn me when you're going to do things like that!" he exclaimed before Blaine's lips cut him off. He knew that Blaine was making the most of the next few hours together, and Kurt certainly wasn't going to deny him the opportunity, kissing him back deeply. He couldn't help but melt into his boyfriend's arms, pressing their bodies together closely.

"... I'm fairly sure I left it down here.."

Kurt broke the contact quickly as David's voice grew louder. Jumping out of Blaine's lap, he grabbed his boyfriend's hand and pulled him to his feet just as the other boy entered the room with Thad in tow. "Oh, hey guys. Have you seen my..." David trailed off, examining them closely. Kurt cringed, but David simply smiled knowingly. "Never mind, I just remembered they're on the top deck."

He quickly left the room, a bemused Thad following behind. "Your friends are insane," Kurt said, shaking his head as Blaine chuckled quietly behind him.

"Wait, _my _friends?" Blaine frowned at him as they ascended the stairs. "You need to stake some ownership there too, they're not just mine."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "But unlike you, I don't _want _them," he bantered back, even as the smile crossed his face as he watched various Warblers running around the main deck, clearly trying to find their possessions. "Oh, scratch that. I'll take Jeff if we ever break up. I'm sure I can pull him and Nick apart... and he's cute."

"Oh, and I'm not?"

Blaine attempted an insulted face as they entered their room. Kurt laughed, kicking the door shut behind him and immediately pushing Blaine back onto the bed. "You're _gorgeous_."

Apparently that was enough for Blaine who leaned up, pulling Kurt back into his lap and connecting their lips hungrily. Kurt sincerely hoped that one could never become desensitized to kissing, because Blaine was a particularly good kisser - Kurt nearly laughed out loud at his under-exaggeration - and Kurt loved being the only one he kissed.

Far too soon, Blaine pulled away. "I hate to break this up -"

"Then don't," Kurt said innocently.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "We need to pack. We've done a good job at keeping things neat but there still is stuff to get done."

Kurt sighed and slid out of Blaine's lap, holding out a hand to help his boyfriend up before they went their respective ways to pack. Kurt ran through his moisturizing routine quickly before packing everything away, lining up all of his suitcases next to one another. Blaine shook his head from across the room where he was zipping up his bag. "I can't believe you brought five suitcases, and you only opened _two_."

"Well, I pack for every eventuality. _You _just didn't live up to expectations."

Blaine was across the room in an instant, pulling Kurt into his arms. "Didn't I?" he growled lightly, leaning forward to press their foreheads together. "How can I live up to those expectations then?"

Kurt resisted the temptation, but leaned in closer until their lips were almost touching. "I can think of a way," he whispered quietly, waiting until Blaine had leant in to close the gap before pulling back. "You can help me get my suitcases out of here," he said in his normal voice, smirking at the disappointed pout on his boyfriend's face. "Blaine Anderson, what did you think I was going to say? Your mind is in the gutter!"

"Only for you, babe." Blaine leant in to steal a kiss quickly before grabbing two of the suitcases. "Let's get these monstrosities out of here then."

Kurt's jaw dropped and he quickly grabbed two of his own, following Blaine out the door. "_Monstrosities? _These are Louis Vuitton, thank you very much!"

Blaine pulled the bags out to the top deck, lining them up neatly. "Oh, what was I thinking? I'm so sorry; let's get these _Louis Vuitton _monstrosities out of here."

"You're lucky you're cute, Anderson." Kurt followed him back to the room, shaking his head. "Real lucky."

"I thought I was gorgeous?"

As Blaine reached for the last bag, Kurt stopped him, grabbing his arm and pulling him in so their lips met again. "You're a bit of both," he murmured when they broke apart before grabbing the bag himself and strolling nonchalantly out of the room, waiting for Blaine to follow with his own bag. It took a few seconds, and Kurt couldn't help but feel slightly proud of the way he could turn his boyfriend into living goo sometimes.

As they reached the deck, Kurt noticed the rest of the suitcases on the deck and Thad staring open-mouthed at his bags. "I thought Blaine was kidding when he said five..."

"Kurt packs for _every eventuality_." Blaine winked at him, dumping his bag next to Kurt's.

Kurt swatted at him lightly. "Yeah, steal my lines, that's real _cute_."

"You're both sickeningly sweet, we get it," David muttered. Kurt stuck his tongue out in the boys direction before linking his arm with Blaine's again. "So we're going to run amok now and try to destroy your boat in the few hours we have left."

Blaine shook his head as the boy ran off, followed by Cameron and Thad. "Aren't you going to stop them?" Kurt asked curiously.

"Nope." Blaine tugged him a bit closer. "I just want to enjoy my time with you."

And really, Kurt couldn't argue with that at all.

* * *

><p>Blaine leant across the railing, staring at the land that was slowly approaching. He knew they would be off the boat very soon, and then everybody would be heading off to do their own thing for summer. He had already made plans to catch up with Wes and David as soon as possible and knew that of course he and Kurt would spend as much time together as they could, but after having a week like this he knew he was going to miss everybody.<p>

An arm slipped around his waist and Blaine turned to smile at Kurt. "Can you believe it's almost over?"

"It's been a great week," Kurt agreed, the inflection unspoken. They both knew the week they had experienced together had changed their lives and their relationship. "But all good things have to end. If they didn't, we wouldn't know how amazing they were."

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "Very astute. Where did you learn that?"

Kurt shrugged. "Life," he said simply, before leaning in to kiss him, slow and sweet.

Of course that particular saying had to apply to them as well, Blaine realized ruefully as Cameron wolf whistled in the background and Kurt pulled away quickly, his face turning red. Blaine immediately sought out Jeff who nodded. "Hey, come with me for a second?" Kurt nodded, still blushing and Blaine tugged him gently over to where Jeff and Nick were standing. "Ready?" he murmured to Jeff, Kurt and Nick looking on curiously.

In response, Jeff simply raised his voice. "Hey, Cameron?"

As soon as the other boy turned, Jeff and Blaine sprung into action, both grabbing their significant others and kissing them thoroughly. Kurt caught on instantly of course and began to kiss him back, allowing their tongues to meet in an overt display of passionate making out that Blaine knew would never have been done unless they were provoked. Even though it was probably inappropriate, Blaine couldn't help but enjoy the moment as much as he would if they had been doing this privately. _Must be my inner exhibitionist coming out to play_, he thought, suppressing a moan as Kurt pulled him closer.

The moment was instantly killed as Cameron began to make loud spluttering noises, clearly shocked. Blaine gave it a few more seconds for good effect before pulling away, turning reluctantly from a dazed looking Kurt to seek out Jeff who was smirking. "So, Cameron, that's what's going to happen from now on if you don't kill the innuendos, alright?" Cameron nodded, for once lost for words.

"Hold on a second!" Nick turned to Jeff looking outraged. "Are you telling me we have to wait for him to say something suggestive before we get to do that again?" Without waiting for a reply, he turned to Cameron. "Oi! One of your lines, pronto!"

Jeff shook his head and leant over to whisper something in Nick's ear. Apparently it was exactly what the boy had wanted to hear because he grinned devilishly, tugging at Jeff's hand and disappearing around the corner. "We've got ten minutes until we arrive, guys!" Blaine called after them, unable to stop the grin at the expression on Cameron's face. "Hey, be grateful they took it around the corner."

"Maybe we should find a corner to disappear around," Kurt whispered in his ear, sending a shiver down his spine. But as much as Blaine wanted to take Kurt up on his offer - and he _definitely _wanted to do that - he knew he had to get everybody else sorted and ready to leave. So with an apologetic look, he disentangled himself from Kurt and headed down the hall to make sure all the rooms were empty, and sincerely hoping he wouldn't find Nick and Jeff in one of them.

Thankfully the rooms were free of both occupants and belongings, and by the time Blaine returned, so had Nick and Jeff. Blaine refrained from commenting on their appearance, simply winking at Jeff when Nick was occupied talking to Kurt. "Okay, we're ready to go. Everybody's cars are in the parking garage, feel free to head off once we get back on land." He paused for a moment, surveying the group in front of him. "Guys, it's been a great week, and thank you all for coming along. I hope you've had fun."

A loud series of agreements met his statement, just before Blaine felt the familiar jolt meaning they had reached the port. "Hey, when do we get to do this again?" David asked.

Blaine shrugged, glancing around the group. "Next summer?" Another cheer rang out and Blaine grinned. "Alright then, get out of here and enjoy the rest of your summer!"

Nick and Jeff were the first to leave, both giving him hugs before they walked off the boat with their luggage in tow, hand in hand. Wes, David and Jessica lingered to say goodbye after getting their luggage off board, all talking to Kurt as Thad and Cameron said their goodbyes and left. Wes finally walked over to Blaine and wrapped him in a hug. "It's been a blast, Blaine."

"It has. Next week sometime at my place?" David added, taking his turn to hug Blaine who nodded.

"I'll be there. Kurt as well?"

David smirked. "Wouldn't dream of separating you. Well, I'd better go break up with Melanie. Wes, get your girlfriend and let's get going."

Blaine watched as Jessica and Kurt hugged - albeit slightly awkwardly - before the other two said goodbye to Kurt. And finally, it was just the two of them. "Well, I'd better get you back to Lima," Blaine said quietly, watching Kurt as he stared across the deck. Instead of replying, Kurt simply crossed the distance between them and pulled Blaine into his arms.

"Thank you," he whispered into Blaine's ear. Blaine didn't even need to ask what for - he knew Kurt couldn't sum it up, and neither could Blaine.

"You're welcome," he replied instead, before pulling away a little. "I've got to talk to the crew for a few minutes, do you want to start getting your bags off board?" His eyes fell to the five suitcases lined up behind Kurt and he smirked. "It might take you awhile."

Kurt elbowed him lightly before heading over to his bags. Blaine watched him go before turning to talk with the staff. He dealt with the final details quickly, referring payment onto his father and wishing them a good summer before lugging his own bag off board. Kurt was making his way down with his last bag by the time he was finished, and Blaine rolled his eyes. "You make it look so effortless."

"I try." Kurt stood the last bag next to the others and perched on the edge of it gracefully. "Now, are you going to get the car or not?"

Blaine saluted, digging his car keys out of his pocket and wandering over to the parking garage. He may have drawn out the task a little, but he knew the longer it took, the longer it would be until he had to say goodbye to Kurt. They were apparently both on the same page as it took far longer than normal to load up the car, their hands brushing together at every possible opportunity. But finally it was done and they were both in the car, headed to Lima.

_Two hours, and then I'll have to go home to my own bed, with no Kurt..._

Blaine pushed the thought from his mind, instead stealing a glance at Kurt whose eyes were slipping closed until he forced them open. "Babe, you can go to sleep."

"But this is our last time together until -" a large yawn cut into his sentence and he looked sheepish while Blaine laughed. "Fine, let me sleep for an hour then wake me up, okay?" Blaine nodded, watching out of the corner of his eye as Kurt curled into a ball and was asleep within minutes. And now it was just him and his thoughts for the next hour.

The week had been nothing short of perfect - well, excluding that one day, but he chose not to think about that. Instead he focused on how perfect the week had been for his relationship with Kurt. Blaine knew that Kurt had been afraid that introducing the physical aspect to their relationship would change things, that it would taint the romance they had. But Blaine knew that neither of them had had any idea of how much things would change, and only for the better.

Blaine _loved _Kurt, more than he had ever dared to believe he could. And he knew that someday he would admit to Kurt how scared he had been to fall in love with him, how he had felt like he was going to lose a part of himself, how _terrified _he was that they would break up or Kurt would decide he could do better. But now Blaine knew he was willing to risk all of that if it meant he could have weeks like this with Kurt. Even if they broke up tomorrow, Blaine couldn't bring himself to regret what they had shared.

And Blaine knew he would fight with everything he had to stand up for his relationship with Kurt, no matter the cost. Which is why, when the hour had passed and he pulled over to wake Kurt up, he knew what he had to do.

"Babe, ready to wake up?"

Kurt shook his head, burrowing further into the seat. "Okay, but you told me to wake you when we were an hour from Lima." Sighing, Kurt pulled himself into a sitting position and turned to glare sleepily at Blaine who raised his hands, smiling. "Just following orders."

"Mm, I know. Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it." Still smiling, Blaine leant in to kiss him gently, noticing the grumpiness had faded from Kurt's eyes when he pulled away. "Okay, you can wake me up like that more often."

Blaine pulled back onto the road, waiting until Kurt was more awake before he spoke. "So I've been thinking -"

"Oh dear, did it hurt?"

Blaine stuck his tongue out, unable to hide a smile at Kurt's laughter. "No, quite the opposite actually. I - we haven't really talked about you going to McKinley recently, and I was thinking about something..."

He trailed off, biting his lip and Kurt put a hand on his arm. "Blaine, you're _nervous_. What's wrong?"

"What if I decided I wanted to stand up to the bullies that I never could at my old school?" Blaine blurted out in a rush. As soon as he had said it, he knew it was a stupid idea because now he just sounded _clingy_ and of course Kurt wouldn't want him to come along, and then he realized that Kurt probably had no idea -

"You.. you want to come to McKinley?" Blaine nodded, avoiding eye contact. There was a moment of silence; then, "Pull over."

Cringing, Blaine pulled over again and turned to Kurt to try and explain, only to find his boyfriend's lips pressed against his. _I guess it's not as bad an idea as I thought, _Blaine thought to himself, tugging Kurt closer.

"So, you want to come to McKinley?" Kurt asked again, pulling away breathlessly. At Blaine's nod, he continued. "Baby, I love the idea of seeing you every day... but what about your education? You want to do law, you need to get into an Ivy League for that."

"I do. And this is one of the times it'll come in handy to have the last name Anderson." Blaine knew his family's wealth and prestige had been a sore spot on occasion so treaded carefully. "As long as I still work hard and keep my grades up - which, as you've said, will be easier at McKinley anyway - then I'll be guaranteed acceptance pretty much anywhere. But this is more important than education, Kurt. This is about what's right." Kurt looked to be deep in thought and Blaine just took his hands, waiting. "I haven't organized things of course," he added as an afterthought. "I mean, I'd have to talk to my parents and work out transfer details. I just wanted to see what you thought."

"It's up to you," Kurt said, "not me. I just want to know - are you ready to do this? Can you walk those halls and not only stand up for yourself but not react when people antagonize us?"

Blaine knew he was referring to the benefit McKinley had put on when he had pushed Karofsky. "If I can't do it there, how am I meant to do it in the real world?"

Kurt blinked at him a couple of times before inexplicably smiling. "Very true. So - you're coming to McKinley!"

Blaine's arms were suddenly filled with a laughing Kurt. "Theoretically, yes. It'll be the first conversation I have with my parents when I get back. On that note..." he trailed off, Kurt getting the hint and reluctantly moving back into his seat.

The comfortable atmosphere slowly faded from the car the closer they got to Kurt's place. There was conversation but it was sporadic as both boys lost themselves in their thoughts. Finally, Blaine pulled to a stop outside Kurt's house. Killing the engine, he stared out the window for a few seconds before turning to Kurt and feeling his heart drop. "Baby, no, don't cry," he murmured, pulling Kurt into his arms.

"I'm alright," Kurt mumbled into his shoulder. "It's just been an _amazing _week and... I wish we could do that all the time."

Blaine tightened his grip, not wanting to ever let go. "So do I. Maybe someday we can be like that.. for the rest of our lives." He never thought he would be able to admit that to Kurt. But telling the boy in his arms that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him felt so natural that he couldn't not do it.

Kurt's breath hitched slightly before his reply came, filled with such hope that Blaine couldn't help but smile. "Maybe. I hope so." Kurt pulled away, staring into his eyes for a moment before sighing lightly. "Come on, let's get my bags in before my dad get suspicious."

_Oh... oh crap. Kurt's dad. _

Keeping a nonchalant expression on his face, Blaine stepped out of the car and moved to pull Kurt's bags out. He had almost forgotten the embarrassing talk he had been subjected to when Burt had cornered him a week before they had left. The threats were only thinly veiled about what would happen to Blaine if anything happened to Kurt on this cruise, and while the word 'sex' hadn't actually been said, Blaine knew that it was a definite no. Which was all fine and good because they _hadn't _had sex, but if Burt found out they had been sleeping in the same bed, the man might not quite look at Blaine the same way again. So, it was probably better not to tell him.

Kurt was already halfway to the front door by the time Blaine had gotten the rest of the bags out and he quickly followed behind. Stepping through the door, he found Kurt hugging his dad before pulling away and beginning to rave about his week. Smiling, Blaine began to lug the bags up to Kurt's room, remembering how much easier it had been to roll the bags _down _the stairs on the way.

Blaine headed back down for the next two, shaking his head as he heard his boyfriend. "... and then there were these _fish_, and it was like nothing I'd ever seen..." The rambling trailed out again as Blaine headed back up the stairs with the next two. _Well, at least he enjoyed it_.

Somehow he managed to get out to the car, retrieve the last bag and get it upstairs without Kurt stopping. Blaine wasn't sure he had even paused to take a breath yet. "... then we slept outside last night and ... Dad, it was _amazing_."

Burt shot a look at Blaine who was standing behind Kurt, rolling his eyes. "It sounds it. I think your boyfriend might want to say goodbye."

"Oh!" Kurt spun around, clearly looking for his bags, then shot a guilty look at Blaine. "Did you just -?"

"I did. Going to walk me out?"

Ignoring Burt's suspicious look, Blaine took Kurt's hand and the two made their way back out to Blaine's car. As soon as they reached it, all the awkwardness that had been completely missing throughout the week hit Blaine in full force and he found himself staring at his shoes with no idea of what to say without overreacting. _It's not like you won't see him again in a couple of days or anything..._

And then Kurt was hugging him, clearly sharing the same sentiments as Blaine if the hug was anything to go by. "You're coming over on Monday, right?"

"Of course," Blaine whispered back before pulling back to stare into Kurt's eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too."

And then their lips were meeting again, as beautiful and perfect as that very first time they had kissed, and Blaine knew it would always be perfect if it was always Kurt. Maybe he hadn't dated around like the rest of the guys had, maybe he hadn't 'played the field.' He didn't need to - everything he needed was right here in his arms.

But of course it had to end. Reluctantly, Blaine pulled away and out of the embrace. "I'll call you when I get home. Go spend some time with your family." Kurt nodded, but stayed exactly where he was as Blaine got in the car and pulled out of the driveway. One last wave through the rear view mirror, and Kurt was out of sight.

_It's been one heck of a week_, Blaine thought to himself as he began the long drive back to Westerville. _Possibly one of the best ever. _Between his crazy friends, a week without supervision, watching Nick and Jeff grow as a couple and David as an individual, and of course his and Kurt's relationship, Blaine knew he was already on track for the best summer yet.

And Blaine knew one more thing for absolute certain. He would never be able to go on a cruise without Kurt again.

_I wonder if he's got plans for next summer yet..._

* * *

><p><strong>First, I adore sunrises. There's this particular campsite that I've been to seven times and one of the times I was there, I got up at about five and went and sat out on the field and just watched the sun rise. And this place was just beautiful and with the sun rising... I don't even have words. There's something magical about it.<strong>

**Second, once again, thank you for joining me on this crazy little ride :) I hope you've enjoyed it because I've certainly enjoyed having you along! Thanks for all the reviews and love sent my way :)**

**Finally, if you're reading this in one hit and haven't followed along as I've updated, please let me know! I love hearing from people who find my stories completed months later or something :)**

**All my love,**

** Sarah/**_**foraworldundeserving**_**.**


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